A Last Request
by Luppi-tan
Summary: Road is ready to die. But what does she want in return for her life? It's pretty simple. She want's Allen. RoadxAllen, LavixLou Fa. Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.
1. Chapter 1

"W-what did you say!" Lavi asked angrily, as Road stared at them, her grin widening even further, until she looked like the Cheshire Cat.

"You heard me, Bookman. Allen comes alone, or I summon all the Noah here, and you all die." Road said with icy cold certainty, and an insane grin that screamed of evil. Lenalee gritted her teeth, and Krory looked around, as if to see by what routes they could escape. Allen was the only one who was still calm, because Lenalee was glaring furiously at Road, certain that she was up to something. And, in a sense, she was. But not what Lenalee was thinking.

"I-I'll do it." Allen said nervously, putting a hand on his stomach to stop himself from throwing up. The last time he had fought Road had been terrifying, and he still couldn't forget that feeling of utter, ice cold dread that filled his entire body when he fought Tyki for the first time, and realized just how horribly outclassed he was. It was like death incarnate bearing down on him, and it made him sick.

"Allen-kun! N…" Lenalee began, but Road suddenly surrounded them with candle spikes.

"Shut the fuck up, pigtails! Allen's made his decision! And besides…" She said, her voice returning to its sugary sweet tone. "If you cooperate, I promise you won't regret it. I'll reward you all beyond anything you could possibly hope for."

"What proof can you offer that you won't turn on your deal?" Allen asked. At this, Road snickered, then nodded briefly.

"Absolutely none. You have no reason to trust me. You'll just have to take me at my word this time."

"Unfortunately, Road, your word means nothing to us." Lenalee said icily. Road giggled. "I know, sweetheart. But it's your only chance of survival. You remember the last time you fought me, right, Bookman? Remember how I ripped your mind to shreds? I was going easy on you. I was having too much fun to kill you right away. It won't be nearly so easy this time."

"Relax, Lenalee, Lavi, Krory… I'll go. I suspect she just wants a little play date. Isn't that right, Road?" Allen asked politely, but she could tell that he hated her as much as the rest of them.

"That's right, Allen. So hurry up, or we'll be late for the party. Take my hand… What! I promise my hand doesn't bite." She said, implying that other parts of her did. Allen grudgingly took her hand, and followed her into the dream world.

"I see. So this is what Lavi saw that time, eh?"

"Yes. Now, in here, we have all the time in the world, but I would like to take care of business slowly, so we can reach the finale quickly." Road said in a contradictory statement, causing Allen to raise an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. You'll understand. First of all, I guess it should go without saying, but I really do love you, Allen. I know that you love Lenalee deeply, and even though I feel deeply jealous of her, I don't begrudge her, or you." Road said quietly, a blush appearing on her porcelain cheeks. Allen stepped back for a moment, shocked at this revelation. Was she being serious? Did she really _love_ him? He knew that she had a silly, girlish crush on him… And even that was a bit over the top. But _love_? That was extremely serious.

"That being said, I know that the end is approaching rapidly. The final struggle will soon be upon us, and if the Dark Order remains as woefully ignorant as it is now, you will be slaughtered like pigs on sacrifice day. That doesn't have to happen, though. There is a chance to remedy your ignorance and stupidity. However, to do it, you need access to secret files whose location is known to only three people. The Fourteenth, now gone, The Millennium Earl, and I. That means that you haven't got a chance to find them… Not on your own. You need my help, but you know me too well for that. My assistance doesn't come for free."

"And what makes you think I would even consider bargaining with a monster like you? I could just look into the Fourteenth's memories and pull out the information… Just like I did with the piano."

"Normally, I would agree, but you can't access the memories anymore. Memories that you have already unlocked are yours to keep, like the piano. However, the Vatican sealed away the rest of the Fourteenth with very powerful magic. That means you haven't got a chance in hell to find it."

"How… N-never mind. What do you want, Road?"

"I want you, Allen. You have to sleep with me. Over the millennia, I've been extremely lonely, and naturally, I've filled that void with evil, sadism, and cruelty. It's time to stop, now, though. I'm sick of this God awful existence, living as a servant to the Earl, only to kill and destroy. This existence wasn't meant to be. It's time for me to die, Allen, but before I die by your blade… Yes, you will be the one to grace me with death… I want to be able to at least pretend that I have someone who loves me for who I am, and not what I am. If you can do that, I'll gladly give you all the information you could possibly need, and even aid in your escape back to HQ. I can make portals, after all."

"I don't trust you, Road. What's the catch?" Allen asked suspiciously.

"Only what I said before. You have to make love to me. I want to feel like I mean something to you. Pretty simple, right? Surely you've slept with that Lenalee girl plenty of times. I see the way you look at each other. Oh, I know it seems like a suspiciously good deal for you, but you have no idea what it's like being stuck inside the body of a child for 5,000 years!"

"A-actually… I-I don't think she even knows how I feel… And for that matter… You're _that_ old!" Allen said breathlessly, feeling even more nervous now, if it were possible.

"Really? Well, that's stupid. You really shouldn't delay. Your lives could end at any time. With that in mind, why would you wait? And yes. I'm the oldest Noah."

"I-I can't tell her. Y-you must be wrong. She couldn't possibly like me."

"And why the hell not?" Road asked quietly, sauntering over to Allen and draping her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek, causing him to shiver. As she did this, Allen muttered something that Road couldn't hear.

"What? I can't hear you if you mumble."

"I-I'm just not good enough for her. I would be ecstatic if Lenalee loved me, but the truth is, she's just too good for me, and anyone who says otherwise is lying, or delusional."

In the next moment, Allen felt a sharp pain across his cheek, and he saw Road scowling angrily at him, her hand raised above her head after having slapped him.

"You're a moron, you know that!" She yelled. Allen looked at her helplessly.

"I-I thought you said you wanted me to love you. Why are you so intent on this! You aren't making sense!" He complained.

"I said I wanted you to make me _believe_ that you loved me! I know perfectly well that far from loving me, you'd like nothing better than to kill me, and are probably sickened by the mere prospect of having sex with someone like me! And I'm intent on this because I know that you'll never truly be happy until you tell Lenalee how you feel! But…" Road continued, calming down slightly. "That is neither here nor there right now. I need your answer. If you refuse, then this conversation is over, and you can take your chances in open combat with me. Otherwise, pucker up."

At that choice, Allen took Road gently in his arms, and said, "I-I'll do it." Then, he pressed his lips to hers, and their mouths met in a passionate kiss. Road gasped as Allen kissed her and prodded at her lips for entrance, even as his hands moved up and down her body, feeling every inch of her, moving his hands under her blouse as she gasped and sighed along with the feeling of his cool, gentle hands. Road's eyes were still open, and she was staring deeply into Allen's gray eyes, searching for any sign of uncertainty. But either he really wanted to do this, or he just knew exactly what he had to do… She was guessing the latter. After a moment, the two pulled away for breath, and Road went to speak. But Allen silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Shhh. There's no need to say anything…" He whispered gently, blowing behind her ear sofltly, causing her body to shudder sensually, giving him a vague sense of satisfaction, but also a strange feeling that he couldn't quite quantify, like maybe Noah weren't the monsters that he had believed them to be. If they could feel things like love, and sensuality, then they must at least have some humanity left in them. And knowing that, could he really in good conscience kill Road? She had asked him to kill her, but now, he was about to have sex with her, something that was supposed to be special, and sacred between two people who loved each other. After all that, could he really end her life so heartlessly? And what would happen to her after she died? She was a Noah, so would she go to hell, where all evil souls went? Or would she go to heaven, since she was still a child when she had awoken. It was so hard to say, and nothing was black and white like it used to be anymore.

Road's small fingers worked their way up Allen's body, moving to the front of his Exorcist coat, where she unbuttoned it, and helped him drop it to the floor. She then moved on to his vest and shirt. Her hands were shaking, now, though, from Allen's attentions, causing it to be difficult to properly unbutton his clothes. Allen shrugged off his shirt, revealing his bare chest, and his Innocence arm. He knew that he should be being more careful, but for some reason, today, he trusted Road to make good on her promise. Road brought her hands up and pushed Allen back against a wall, kissing him firmly and desirously this time as she slowly raked the tips of her fingers up and down his chest, leaving white hot trails of sensual fire all across his body. As she did this, Allen started to unbutton her blouse as well, undoing the bow that she wore around her neck, and slowly working his way down until he was at her waist, and had begun to lower her skirt. As he did this, Road brought a finger up to his face, tracing the scar along the left side, causing him to moan in unexpected pleasure as she did something unknown that caused sparks practically to fly as she did this. Road giggled at his reaction, and poked Allen's bare chest, dragging her finger down the center until she reached his navel, and circled it with her finger, leaving Allen to twitch and writhe in ecstasy, nearly exploding in his pants from some unknown force.

Finally, Road moved lower, and began to undo his pants, causing Allen to blush. She paid this no mind, though, and continued, pulling his boxers down as well, and moving her finger down his hardened cock, and grabbing hold of it, Allen gasped as she did this, never having done this kind of thing before. Road giggled and slowly enveloped his cock in her mouth, causing Allen to jerk and moan in pleasure as her tongue and lips moved up and down his shaft. Before long, he released in her mouth, and Road moved back, spitting on the floor.

Seeing Allen naked like this was getting her really hot, so she began to remove her bra and panties. Allen noticed with a start that she really did still look like a little girl. Her breasts had hardly developed at all, and… down there was… well… Yeah. He almost felt guilty doing this kind of thing with someone like Road, not so much because she was his enemy, but because the whole thing reeked of pedophilia. Even though Allen knew Road was ancient, even by Biblical standards, she looked like a child.

"Geez, Allen. Always so morally upstanding. Perhaps if I took this form?" Road asked, taking the dark skinned form that she took when the entire Family invaded the Main HQ. Allen gasped. How had she done that? It was true. She did look a bit older, now. Maybe fourteen or fifteen rather than twelve. Whatever he thought, though, he didn't have much choice. Besides, he was actually sort of enjoying this.

_Does that make me a bad person?_ He wondered vaguely, shrugging and pushing Road against the wall, kissing her again. They had stopped for a little while, but now, they were both completely nude, and things were heating up again, and the two slid to the floor, where Road stared lustfully into Allen's eyes, and spoke. "Do it, now."

So, Allen pushed into her, breaking past her hymen in one thrust, causing Road to gasp in pain, and tears to flood her shockingly golden eyes that almost seemed to glow.

"P-please, don't mind me. Continue…" Road said, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable with tears in her eyes and an almost innocent look on her face. But he heeded her words and began thrusting in and out of her, slowly at first, but then faster and faster until he got a steady pace up, at which point, he moved his Innocence hand behind her back, rubbing gently up and down, occasionally touching her side, or her hip, and pulled her in with his other hand, kissing her warmly. Inside, he groaned, though, knowing that he was enjoying himself way too much for propriety's sake. After a little while, he felt her walls tighten around him, and Road came, mere seconds before he came as well inside her.

Allen pulled out of Road, who was breathing heavily, not having exerted herself that much in ages. She smiled sadly at Allen, tears coming to her eyes as the two of them cleaned up and got dressed again. She then looked at Allen.

"Well, I'm a woman of my word. Come over here, and hold still. Only the eldest Noah can transfer memories like this."

Allen walked over to Road, no longer feeling that he had anything to fear. And, indeed, he didn't. She put her hand on his forehead, and Allen gasped as memories flooded into his mind. Road smirked, but behind her devious grin was fear, and not a small amount of loneliness. Allen activated his Crowned Clown Edge, and started to move, but before he could, Road hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Allen…"

"I love you, too, Road…" Allen lied. Maybe it was wrong to lie like that, but if it could make her last moments just a tiny bit more bearable, maybe it wasn't so bad. Then, he brought his hand down and slashed Road as hard as he could bring himself to, causing her to shriek in momentary agony before the Dream disappeared around them, and they went back to the real world, at which point, Allen pierced Road with his Sword of Exorcism, and watched as she crumbled to dust.

Lenalee, Lavi, Krory and Miranda all looked at him. Allen didn't have a scratch on him, but the look on his face showed that he had definitely felt an emotional blow.

"Allen-kun… Are you alright? What happened? What did Road do to you?"

"Nothing. The fight was over really fast. Follow me. There's one thing we have to do here before we leave."

With that, Allen refused to answer any more questions, and led the team of exorcists to the information that Road had promised them, after which, a portal appeared that brought them back to HQ… Although, none of them were quite sure where the portal came from, since Road was dead.

**The End?**

A/N: Well, that's it… For now. Please read and review. I am possibly considering turning this into a full story, but I won't if you don't want me to. Please send your opinions and I will take them into consideration.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

*Snrk!*

Allen snorted in his sleep as he tossed and turned, having bizarre dreams that had been plaguing his sleep for almost a week, now. He had not yet uncovered the source of these dreams, nor could he make out any distinct figures, but he knew that it couldn't be good. Tonight would be different, though.

"_*giggle!* Hi, Allen!" Came a girlish voice from behind Allen, who turned around, starting to activate his Crowned Clown, but realizing that he just had a normal arm, now._

"_Relax, sweetie…" Road said sweetly, kissing Allen on the lips without waiting for permission, or even to blackmail him first. "I'm not here to hurt you. It's like last time we met. I come in peace."_

"_And you're gonna leave in pieces if you don't tell me what you want, right now!"_

"_Ooh… So scary. But can't we just enjoy each others' company without having an ulterior motive? We're friends, after all, right?"_

"_I don't make friends with Noah!" Allen sneered angrily, furious that he couldn't activate his anti-akuma weapon. He would have to keep his temper in check for now. The problem was that he remembered full well what happened last time. He had sex with Road, a definite taboo for an exorcist… Well, having sex was no problem, only if it was with a Noah. Of course, he had killed her afterward, so perhaps he had made up for his bad deed. Nonetheless, Road's words still swam in his head. He had felt the same way she did before he joined the Order. He had been losing hope for humans. There was so much evil and hatred in the world, and that hatred caused Akuma to be born. He had begun to despair that the war with the Earl was already lost. But then he found people that he truly loved, and wanted to protect. But what if he hadn't? Would he have become like Road? Evil, hateful and nihilistic? He may never have been as powerful as Road, but his personality could have been the same._

"_That's too bad. And after we made love and everything. You told me you loved me. You weren't lying, were you? You sounded so sincere."_

"_I-I didn't ever expect to see you again, Road." Allen said quietly, blushing upon remembering this. "I hoped that saying that would help your death be a little bit easier. Was I wrong?"_

"_No. I didn't mind dying at all, having heard you say that, even just once… Even if you didn't mean it. I knew you were lying. But part of me wanted so desperately to believe it, that maybe I convinced myself afterwards that it was true." Road said softly, a tear spilling over her eye and sliding gently down her doll-like cheek. Allen felt guilty, now, that he had told such a lie._

"_I'm sorry, Road. I-I didn't mean to hurt you. B-but where are we, anyhow?"_

"_You didn't hurt me. It's my fault for thinking I could ever be good enough for someone like you."_

"_Road!" Allen said, shocked at how downbeat she was being. "Please don't say that!"_

"_So what?" Road said, her eyes suddenly ice cold. "You'll promise to love me and take care of me? To make me feel like maybe I'm not such a worthless person after all? Like maybe my life did have some purpose other than causing people pain? Don't make promises you can't keep…" she said icily, glaring at Allen. But before she could finish her rant, she burst into tears, falling to her knees, sobbing hysterically. Allen ran over to her, kneeling down and embracing her tightly._

"_Allen!" She sobbed. "I-I-I just wanted you to love me! Is that so wrong! Is it wrong to want to be able to live a normal life, be a normal person, fall in love, get married, have children, grow old and die, just like anyone else! Because of my ancestry, I'll never be able to die! You gave me the chance to at least feel death's embrace, but even now, I'm not dead… Not really. I'm alive inside you. I'm completely at your mercy, right now, and I know that if you start to get tired of me, you could just kill my memories and be rid of me forever! At least with the Earl, and the Noah, I had the benefit of knowing that I had people who cared about me! Even if they didn't know me as they should, I had forever to be with them! Now what do I have! A tenuous place in the back of your mind that I could lose at any time!"_

"_Road!" Allen said, shaking her once to calm her down. "It's never wrong to want to be loved. It's part of being human. Listen. You really did the Order a big favor, and I owe you for that. Tell me what you want, and I'll try to help you achieve it."_

_ Road hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "You're probably wondering why it took so long for me to truly appear in your dreams and be able to talk to you. I wasn't just tormenting you. In order for my power to work, now, the person has to be thinking almost constantly about it. That's hard to do, especially when the person is asleep. So, I appeared hazily in your dreams every night, using the latent thoughts of me in your mind, I'm flattered, by the way, in order to manifest my presence. Now that you're thinking about me so often, though, I can appear in this more solid form. Next, you probably wondered why the portal didn't disappear with me. That should be obvious. Think about where we are right now. It's just like the Fourteenth's powers, except not nearly so parasitey."_

"_Parasitey? Is that even a word?"_

"_Shut up! It is because I say it is! Anyway, my powers are now yours. You can get rid of them if you want as soon as you free my soul. You can also keep them if you desire. They could be useful. It's convenient that a tiny bit of my blood got in your mouth after you slew me. That transferred my soul into your body, and now, my soul cannot pass on until you allow it to. However, neither can the next Dreams of Noah be awakened. It's also convenient for me, though, because the Earl cannot turn my soul into an Akuma… And by the way, never has a Noah been turned into an Akuma, but from the Earl's research, he has speculated that it would immediately become a Level 5 Akuma, and if you think that Level 4 monstrosity you fought was bad, that would be turned to slurry by a Level 5 in less than a second."_

"_I see." Allen said, only somewhat truthfully. All this talk of souls and powers was confusing. But he got that he could now do what Road once did, and that he had to help Road pass on._

"_So, you want your soul to pass on?" Allen asked, looking at Road in a somewhat different way now. He had never really thought of her as someone who believed in "passing on"._

"_It's strange, isn't it? I never believed in God until I met you. The Exorcists I fought before you were so weak, unable even to stand up to us for a minute. I always laughed at their blind devotion to God. I thought that if God allowed his disciples to be slaughtered so easily, he must not really love them much… Then, I came to the conclusion that God had given up on humanity, and had abandoned them to our whim, and so, it was our duty to wipe them out and pave the way for a new chapter of history. But then, you were there, and although I didn't think much of you at first, I came to respect you because I saw how hard you were trying to save the souls of the Akuma, and then, your Innocence evolved, and the very idea blew us away. Even the Earl wasn't expecting it. That led me to wonder just how much the Earl really did know, and I started to question my purpose in life. I knew that if I could talk to you once more, I could either decide to kill you once and for all, or end my mission where I stood, and pass the baton to you."_

"_You don't like Lenalee, do you?"_

"_Lenalee? The Exorcist girl with the pigtails? I don't dislike her. I was just jealous of your feelings for her." Road said bluntly, and with a completely straight face. "You could have her, you know? I see the way she looks at you. I may look young, but I'm not completely ignorant."_

"_Why are you telling me this? What does it matter to you?" Allen asked suspiciously._

"_I just want to see you happy. And I can tell that what will make you happy is being with her. I would never want to ruin that. That's why I didn't tell her what I was planning. If you want to tell her when the time is right, it's for you to decide. If not, our… time together didn't mean anything to you anyhow. Anyway, I don't have anything else to say. I just have one last favor to ask of you. Then, you can do what you want. I won't bother you again."_

"_Sure. Anything."_

"_I want to see you one last time before my soul departs. I don't know when you plan to finish it all, but I'd like to meet you in your dreams one last time."_

"_Of course. I'll need to see you anyway to thank you again. I have a little more faith in our chances for victory, now. So, until then…"_

"_Goodbye, love…"_

Suddenly, Allen's eyes shot open, only for him to be pushed down heavyhandedly by several other people, who were gathered around his bed, one of whom was Lenalee.

"Allen-kun!" Came a voice from Allen's right, which made him calm down immediately as he felt a gentle hand on his bare shoulder, which made him realize that he was only wearing his boxers at the moment, causing him to blush heavily and pull his sheets up to cover himself. Miranda, who had been there for only a few moments, turned away in respect, but Lavi just laughed hysterically, causing Lenalee to glare at him, at which point, he stopped abruptly.

"Sorry. It's just really funny. It's not like you're naked or anything."

"LAVI!" Allen shouted, turning bright red. Then, "You didn't draw on my face again, did you?"

"Again?" Lenalee asked, raising an eyebrow at Lavi, who shrugged and smiled placatingly.

"Aren't you a little old for pranks like that?" Lenalee asked.

"Why are you all in here, anyway? This is my room."

"Yeah, but you've been muttering like mad for the last half hour. Something about roads and no hope for humanity. It must have been some dark dream you were having." Lavi said. "Lenalee heard you shout from your room and found you asleep. She was freakin' worried about you."

"Shut up, Lavi! I-I wasn't _that_ worried!" Lenalee protested, blushing pink at this. "But, are you alright, Allen-kun?" She asked, leaning in and taking his right hand in her hands. Allen smiled apologetically at her and nodded.

"Of course. It was just a dream…" Allen said with what hoped was a confident smile. He wasn't so sure, himself, though, and apparently, Lenalee could see this, because, she looked at the others, asking them silently to leave them alone. Lavi stood and stretched.

"Well! I'm actually pretty hungry! And besides, I have to flirt with that new scientist girl with the braids and glasses today!"

Lenalee scowled at him, and shook her head. "I told you, Lavi. It's pointless. Lou Fa loves A… Someone else. You don't have a chance."

"Yeah, well, I suspect that she also doesn't have a chance with that 'someone else'." Lavi said with a snicker, looking over at Allen and Lenalee.

"That doesn't matter! You'll only succeed in embarrassing her." Lenalee said angrily, staring hard at Lavi, who flinched slightly under her gaze, and walked out quickly, soon followed by Miranda and Krory.

"Allen-kun, please tell me what your dream was about. I know it wasn't nothing. I heard you mention Road's, and the Earl's name. What happened in Road's Dream World that time?"

"I-I can't tell you…" Allen said nervously, turning bright red and finding himself unable to look Lenalee in the eye.

"Why!" She demanded, taking his cheek with her hand and forcing him to look at her. "Why won't you tell me what you're thinking about! Are you scared of something! Did Road do something to you? Are you afraid of what I'll think?"

"Well… It's all of those… But also none of them. I'm afraid of a lot of things…" Allen said, looking more vulnerable than Lenalee had ever seen him before. "Road didn't exactly _do_ anything to me. But something did happen, and I sort of am afraid of what you'll think, but more than that, I can't afford for anyone else to know. First of all, you have to understand that I did what I had to do. I'm not proud of it, but I would probably do it again."

"What happened? Just tell me. I promise I won't be angry."

"Well, Road brought me into her dream and said that as we were now, the Order had no chance against the Earl, that we would all perish, and the world would be destroyed. She offered to make me a deal. She would give us information that would help us against the Earl, and then let me kill her. That's how I managed to kill her. But, in exchange, I had to… have sex with her…" Allen said, hesitating before finishing. Lenalee's eyes went wide with shock and rage, and she began to scream.

"You had smmmff! Lgoooo!" She shrieked as Allen covered her mouth with his right hand, being careful not to hurt her. Then she bit him, and he yanked his hand back in pain.

"How the hell did you_ think_ I got that information that we stole! Did you think I tortured the information out of her? Or perhaps you just didn't question it! And for that matter, how do you think that portal out of the Ark got there!"

"How could you do that, though! That's disgusting!"

"Yes. It is." Allen agreed quietly, looking away from Lenalee, seeming ashamed.

"I'm ashamed of what I had to do. But like I said, I'd do it again if it meant winning this war. When I was doing it, I told myself that it was like how the Order created human/Akuma hybrids. It wasn't exactly ethical, and it certainly wasn't something to be proud of, but they were helpful in this war that we're fighting, and in any war, sacrifices have to be made."

"I don't understand your decision. You gave up your morals for the sake of this bloody war. I always had so much faith in you because you seemed like the only person who refused to give up on what he believed in just because of the evil in this world! How could you betray my faith like that!" Lenalee said angrily, tears stinging at her eyes. Then, what she said next cut Allen to his very soul, and perhaps that was what Lenalee had intended. "I hate you, Allen…" Lenalee said, standing up and storming out of Allen's room, slamming the door. As soon as she had closed the door, though, she felt bad about the way she had treated him. Granted, she was angry, but was it really alright for her to tell him that she _hated_ him? Feeling miserable, now, she walked off, back to her own room. Allen wanted to call out to her, plead with her not to leave. He didn't want to be left alone. He hadn't known that telling Lenalee what happened with Road would anger her so much. If he had… No. He still would have told her. He wouldn't have felt right hiding it from her. Of course, he was afraid of losing her. But he was also afraid of losing his other friends, of failing God, failing the world, of the Earl, those nightmares that he had occasionally that involved Mana and the Fourteenth, and some other characters that changed from time to time, those human/Akuma hybrids… Those ones were particularly bad, the way they seemed to envy his ability to see the tortured souls of the Akuma. He hated them, was terrified of them, and pitied them all at once. They had no choice in what they became, but that didn't mean that he had to like them. Silently, he sat there, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over his eyes, and finally, he broke down, crying into his pillow so that nobody would hear him. It seemed wrong to bother anyone with his problems. He had already brought his friends to him with his sleep talking, right?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Hey, Lou Fa!" Lavi said loudly, walking over and sitting down next to the scientist. Lou Fa looked over at him and smiled politely.

"You're Bookman's apprentice, right? What was your name again?"

"Just call me Lavi!" Lavi said brightly, grinning stupidly.

"Mr. Lavi. I-I have a question… How long have Mr. Walker and Miss Lee been dating?" Lou Fa whispered, blushing deeply at her own question. Lavi stared at her blankly for a moment, and then started to laugh hysterically.

"Geez, no need to be so formal! Just Lavi is fine. But Allen and Lenalee aren't dating… Not yet, anyhow."

"I knew I didn't have a chance. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. It was dumb of me…" Lou Fa said miserably, looking about ready to cry. Lavi sighed, and muttered to himself. "Why does Allen have all the luck with the women? He's got Road, Lenalee, and Lou Fa chasing him." To Lou Fa, though, he smiled sympathetically and said, "Allen probably just hasn't noticed how you feel. You should tell him. What's the worst that can happen, right?"

"The worst?" Lou Fa said, getting a distant gaze in her eye, imagining herself humiliated in front of the whole Order after confessing to Allen in what was quite possibly the biggest overreaction ever. Lavi sweatdropped at this.

"Wow. You have quite an imagination. Between your fantasies… Or nightmares… And Allen's appetite, you two might go well together… Allen seems to have a talent for attracting weird girls… Between you and that Road Kamelot…" Lavi said loudly, causing Lou Fa to turn crimson.

"I am _not_ weird! You are such a jerk!" She cried loudly, standing up and slamming her tray back down on the table, running off, causing half the Order to stare at Lavi as if wondering what he could possibly have done to upset her so much. After a moment, Lavi was smacked over the head by a metal tray.

"OW!"

"You have all the social grace of a goat!" Came bookman's critical voice from behind him.

Lenalee sat down next to them, snorting angrily, causing Lavi and Bookman to look up.

"Are you alright, Miss Lee? You seem distressed."

"Allen-kun was just being a jerk…"

"Isn't he always?" Lavi said jokingly, earning a slap from Lenalee.

"Shut up! He just did what he thought was right!"

"So, which is it? Was he being a jerk, or doing what he thought was right?" Lavi asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering how she could possibly be criticizing him and defending him at the same time.

"Both! … N-neither! … Shut up!… None of your business!" She shouted in rapid succession, abandoning her tray as well and storming off.

"Well that cleared things right up…" Lavi said blankly.

"You are in love with her, aren't you?" Bookman asked bluntly. Lavi gasped, causing him to inhale the food that he was eating.

"Wh-what are you talking about!"

"Miss Lee. You love her. I can see it when you look at her. I gave it time in the hope that you would get over it, but I now see that it isn't that you won't. It's that you can't, isn't it? As long as you and she are in such close proximity, she will always be an object of affection for you. I've already arranged it with Komui. We're leaving at the end of the week. Do not argue. There is no discussion to be had. Do not recommend alternate choices, because I assure you that there are none. We were never exorcists to begin with. We merely allied ourselves temporarily with the Order so that we could see this important, but secret chapter in history through to the end of it. However, we will have to find some other way to do that."

"You aren't being fair! How did you expect me _not_ to become attached! We've been here for three years! I've worked closely with these people. I've risked my life for them. They've risked their lives for me! And they did the same for you as well! How can you possibly be so callous! Does their sacrifice mean nothing to you! Yu gave up his life to protect the Order! He DIED! Do you not care at all!"

"As hard as this must be for you to understand, I don't care. These people are as fleeting and ephemeral as a gust of wind, and every bit as unimportant. Ink on paper. They only mean as much as the role they play in making history. The Noah, the Earl, the Exorcists, civilians, soldiers. They all die. It doesn't matter if they appear to be immortal like the Noah. You have witnessed it, yourself. I have been doing this my entire life, and my resolve has been tested numerous times. Now that I'm old and gray, and ready to pass the baton to you, nothing fazes me. You want fair? Here's fair. You have two choices. Leave with me on Friday, or leave me behind on Friday. Either way, you have to leave someone behind. There are few promises in life except for death. But I promise you this. Whatever you choose, I will think no less of you." Bookman said, looking at Lavi sadly. Then, "You know, I had high hopes for you. You're smart, talented, clever, and interested in history. You learned quickly, and didn't complain about the dirty tasks. In a way, you're like the son I never had. I'll miss you when we part ways, but truth be told, I was planning on leaving soon, anyhow. I'm growing too attached to this place as well. These people, this environment… It's like home. And I could have really grown used to it. But I can't afford to. I need to continue the history, and get the notes that I've taken to some other Bookman before I die."

"Don't say that Gramps…" Lavi said sadly, tears threatening to form in his eyes. He choked them back, though, with difficulty. "You still have a long time yet."

"Don't lie, Lavi. I've lived for 90 years. That's a long time, and I'm feeling the age in my bones. I'm not as nimble as I used to be. The Innocence kept me going longer than I should have, but now that I'm giving up this job, I can foresee my end. I'll return the Innocence and leave, whether it's with or without you."

With that, Bookman stood and walked out, leaving Lavi to sit there, not wanting to talk, not ready to stand or eat. The decision that he had to make was eating away at him. Did he choose his friends at the Order, or his life as a Bookman?

Before Lavi got a chance to think much about it, though, Allen sat down next to him with twice the amount of food that he usually had, and that was saying a lot, considering he could down enough dinner for twenty people without breaking a sweat. But now, it looked like he was going to eat an entire banquet by himself. Lavi looked over at Allen and started to speak, but something about the way Allen was staring blankly at his food didn't invite conversation. Fortunately, Lavi didn't have to have a conversation with him, because next thing he knew, Lou Fa had returned and sat down on Allen's left side, staring at him dreamily. Allen looked over at her for a moment, and then smiled pleasantly. To most people, that would have been perfectly encouraging, but Lavi could tell that his smile was empty. He could only guess that something had happened between him and Lenalee in the time that they were alone. Had they broken up already? They couldn't have been together very long… Something else was bothering him about Allen, though. His face was red and streaked, like he had been crying. In all the time Lavi had known Allen, he had never cried once… The white haired exorcist was a fair deal more sensitive than Kanda, and even more sensitive than Lavi, himself… But he wasn't one to cry. Something serious must have happened between him and Lenalee to upset him that much. He listened carefully to Allen's conversation with Lou Fa.

"… r. Walker, are you alright?" Lou Fa asked shyly, blushing slightly. Allen stared at her blankly for a moment, and then nodded.

"I-I'm fine. W-why do you ask?"

"Well… Y-you look troubled."

"Do I?" Allen asked, feigning surprise, and laughing sheepishly. He was putting on a good act, but not good enough to fool Lavi, and apparently, not good enough to assuage Lou Fa's worry. "I guess I'm just a little tired…" Allen said with a smile, but also with a cold finality that almost dared Lou Fa to continue questioning him. Lou Fa took the hint and shrunk away from Allen, shivering, looking as though she was about to cry, muttering something like "I was just concerned for you." Allen didn't hear her, though, and merely turned aside and started to plow through his food, eating faster than Lavi had ever seen anyone eat, and soon, Allen was almost finished. He stopped for a moment, and Lou Fa spoke again.

"I-I should p-p-probably g-get back t-to work. They'll… be expecting me…" She said, as she scurried off.

Immediately after Lou Fa was gone, Allen felt bad about treating her so poorly. He hadn't meant to snap at her like he did. He just didn't want to answer a lot of questions. He had already angered Lenalee, and now he seemed to have angered Lavi and Lou Fa as well. Allen groaned and stood up, slouching away and back to his room. As he made his way back, he thought about his fight with Lenalee. She had really told him that she hated him. How could that be? He had no doubt that what he did was wrong. But sometimes bad things had to be done in order to accomplish what had to be accomplished. Sort of like, sometimes the ends really do justify the means. But to what degree was that so? Was it alright to kill someone if it meant saving a hundred people? What about fifty? Twenty? Ten? One? What about the individual value of the saved life in comparison to the sacrificed life? And what if it wasn't even as clear as murder? Was it alright to steal from a rich man to feed your family? What about a middle class person? A poor man? And would that pave the way for further wrongs, all in the name of the supposedly just goal that you were trying to achieve, until you had become just as wicked and debauched as the one you were trying to defeat, or overthrow? Where did it end? The slippery slope, as it were, the descent into evil. The Earl and the Noah believed that what they were doing was just. But they were still evil, and they had to be destroyed before they destroyed the world.

Allen was so absorbed in his philosophical debate with himself that he didn't even notice where he was going until he knocked Lenalee herself over, and found himself flat on his back. He shook his head hard and stood up, already apologizing before he even knew who it was to whom he was speaking.

"Ow… I-I'm really, really sorr… L-Lenalee… I ummm… I-I… Ihavetogo!" He said, slurring the last four words together, and jumping up, running off so fast that Lenalee couldn't even call to him to get him to listen for a moment. Lenalee watched him run off, then stood up and walked off miserably herself, wishing for all she was worth that she could take back what she had said to him.

"_I hate you, Allen!"_

How could she have said that to him? She loved him. Sure she was angry, and truth be told, she still got a little bit irked every time she thought about it. Could she talk to her brother? Would he be able to be rational? She knew he was sometimes an unreasonable person, and that he was sometimes overprotective of her, but he was a good person. Maybe she could actually talk to him.

"N-Nii-san?" Lenalee said uncertainly, closing the door of Komui's office and locking it so nobody could get in.

"Lenalee… Why on earth did you lock the door?" Komui asked, trying to smile, but betraying his nervousness with an eye twitch. Had she found out about the trap he set for Allen outside her room? The one that would only go off if one with Allen's Innocence went over her threshold.

"I-I need to talk to you. I don't want to be interrupted, and I want you not to overreact!" Lenalee said firmly. Komui was about to argue that he never overreacted. His argument was weak, though, even in his mind, and Lenalee stopped him before he could speak.

"I-I was talking to Allen-kun, earlier…"

"I knew it!" Komui screamed. "The bastard gave into his lust and… did things to my sweet, innocent Lenalee-chan!" he sobbed, hugging Lenalee tightly until she shoved him off of her.

"NO! I told you not to overreact! It was just a normal conversation! He was having a disturbing dream, and I asked him to tell me what happened between him and Road in her dream world."

"And… D-did he tell you?"

"Unfortunately. He said that Road told him that as we were, we had no chance to defeat the Earl, but that if we had certain information, that we might be able to survive. Of course, with Road, the information came at a price."

"Okay. What was the price Allen had to pay?"

"H-he had t-to sleep with her…" Lenalee said, fighting back her urge to vomit at this thought. She hated Road with a passion, even more so, now that she found out what she had done to Allen.

"My, that is serious. For an exorcist to sleep with a Noah. If Rouvellier found out, he would surely have Allen executed, regardless of the fact that he believed him to be the Heart."

"Exactly, but apparently, Road also said that if Allen-kun slept with her, that she would allow him to kill her, which he then did. We have the information. It was all in the five or six crates of papers that we brought back from the Noah's hideout. We gave it to the R&D Department."

"But that's not why you came to talk to me, is it? You had a fight with Allen, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah. I-I said something really horrible to him, and just now, we ran into each other, and he didn't even talk to me… H-he just… ran off, looking like he had been stabbed through the heart. Allen-kun is an extremely resilient person. He's strong, kind, and gentle… But I'm afraid that I really hurt him this time when I told him that I hated him."

"And?"

"And what?"

"_Do_ you hate him?" Komui asked gently. Lenalee shook her head violently.

"O-of course not! I could never hate him! I-I was just angry, and I spoke before I could think about what I was saying!"

"Yes. People often say things in haste when they're angry. Things that they later regret, but that they can no longer take back. Even if you can't take back what you said, you still have to try to set things right."

"Okay. Just promise me you'll get rid of that trap you have in my doorway."

"Never! I'll never let that squid, Allen into my precious Lenalee-chan's bedroom! Who knows what kind of horrible things he'd do to you!" Komui sobbed, clutching Lenalee tightly. After a moment, Lenalee shoved him off of her and stormed away.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Allen's head snapped around and he looked at his door. Who would want to talk to him, especially after the way he had treated everyone. He thought for a moment. He hadn't been horrible to Miranda, Krory, or Timothy… Or any of the Generals. In fact, the list of people that he had been rude to was far smaller than the list of people he hadn't been rude to… yet. Maybe Lavi was there to yell at him. He had seen the look on Lavi's face. He seemed pretty annoyed.

Knock, knock!

"C-come in!" Allen said breathlessly, upon hearing the knocking on the door again. He was further shocked, upon seeing Lenalee walk in, and he shot up in his chair, nearly falling out of it and hitting his head on the wall.

"Geez, Allen-kun… Are you alright?" Lenalee asked, smiling sympathetically.

"I'm fine…" Allen lied. "Did you leave something in here? I haven't found anything…" Allen said quietly, not daring to look Lenalee in the eye. Lenalee walked over, and dragged the chair with Allen still in it over to the bed, and then sat down on his bed next to him.

"No, dummy. I'm here to talk to you. I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you, and…"

"No… Please don't. Y-you're right to hate me. I've never done anything to deserve such good friends…" Allen said melancholically, glancing away from Lenalee for a moment. Lenalee grabbed Allen's cheek, though, and forced him to look at her.

"Allen-kun… Look at me. Stop staring off into space. You haven't done anything wrong, and you didn't deserve to be treated like I treated you. I was angry, and maybe just a bit jealous that you said so blatantly that you had slept with Road. But I'm still curious. You killed her, and yet… you were talking about her in your dream. Y-you aren't… in love with her, are you?" Lenalee asked, looking worriedly at Allen as though his answer would define their relationship forever after. So much pressure. How did he put it?

"I'm not." He replied honestly. "It's strange. I used to hate Road. To me, she was a monster in league with the Earl, and she needed to be destroyed. But in her dream world, she told me that she loved me, and that all she ever really wanted was for someone to truly love her back. She could have been lying. She's probably a pretty good liar, but I felt bad for her, and felt like if I was going to kill her, I could at least grant her last request… Even if it wasn't nearly as special for me. I did it for the information. I did it so I would have the chance to kill her… So, I exorcised her with my Sword in her dream, and then cut her with my Edge in the real world, and I ended her.

"After that, though, I kept thinking about her, because of strange dreams that I kept having where I would see a fleeting shadow of her, or hear her giggling. Then, last night, she appeared and told me everything that had happened. She had transferred her powers to me. Her regeneration. She said that her powers were mine to do with as I wished, and that, similar to Neah, her soul was now inside me. Her wish was that after we defeated the Earl, that I meet her one last time, and free her soul to depart to the afterlife. I agreed. But that doesn't mean that I love her. I'm grateful to her for helping us the way that she did. She went to great personal risk, and gave up her life to give us a chance at victory. But, more importantly, I'm glad you're here. Because… I-I need to tell you something important. I-I love you…" Allen muttered, blushing heavily, and causing Lenalee to turn slightly pink as well. Allen saw this, and quickly added. "I-I was p-pretty sure that y-you didn't feel th-the same way, b-but I had to t-t-tell you… O-or I'd feel like I'd missed my chance to tell you. K-kinda like…"

But he didn't get a chance to finish, because Lenalee slowly cupped his cheek and kissed him on the lips, effectively silencing anything else he may have had to say. She smiled at him.

"I love you, too. But you worry too much. H-how long have you felt that way?"

"Probably since about when we went to the rewinding town. I-it wasn't so serious then, though. It was my first solo mission with you, and I was a little bit nervous." Allen said, laughing sheepishly, and feeling rather stupid. Lenalee giggled cutely, though, causing Allen to blush again, and she drew in closer to Allen, holding him gently and kissing him again. Just as they did that, though, the ceiling broke, and a red blur crashed through with all of the rubble. The two of them stared at the dust cloud as slowly it cleared, and on the ground was none other than General Cross Marian.

"M-Master!"

"G-General Cross!" Allen and Lenalee said at the same time, watching in horror as he stood up and dusted himself off pompously, staring at them with his usual arrogant smirk that screamed for someone to please smack him for the love of God.

"Ah! It seems my idiot apprentice has finally taken his master's lessons to heart! I must say, you have good taste, Allen! I probably couldn't have done better myself, although I was sure that that cute scientist girl in Asian HQ was your girl! You aren't two timing her, are you? Well, at least you managed to kill that psycho Noah girl that kissed you! She may have been cute, but she was as sadistic as they came and her dream magic was a nightmare to fight! Ha, get it! Nightmare! Anyway, I know I'm interrupting what was sure to be an extremely hot and passionate sex session, but I have to give you this information and move on!"

"H-Hold on, Master! W-we weren't… A-and… Lenalee… And I…"

"Speak up, idiot apprentice. We can't hear you."

"We weren't going to do anything like that! How could you even suggest something so uncouth! And I'm nothing like you, and I haven't taken anything to heart! You're crazy! But you're supposed to be dead! Your Innocence said you were dead! There was blood all over the room you were in!"

"Oh, please! Do you know how goddamn easy it was to fake that murder scene? The blood was illusionary magic that I cast, and I _instructed_ my Innocence to register me as dead, and itself at a mere 10% synchronization rate. I long ago learned to control my Innocence perfectly to the point that I can telepathically communicate with and command it. Then, I went out the window, and ran off into the night. Easy peasy. Besides, that wasn't even my real Innocence. It was connected to my own Innocence so that it could fool Hevlaska, but my Innocence… both of them… are right here…" He said, pulling out Judgment, and then Grave of Maria.

"B-b-but why!" Lenalee sputtered, clearly quite as shocked as Allen was to see the vibrant red haired exorcist. Cross looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Why? Because I hate it here. And I knew that if anyone believed I was alive, that they'd hunt for me to the ends of the earth. I'd never know a moment's peace."

"But what about Timcanpy? He even said you were dead!" Allen protested.

"You don't really think that Timcanpy obeys _you_ do you, idiot… apprentice?" Cross said condescendingly, and smirking at Allen in that oh so infuriating manner that only Cross could manage.

"No… I ordered him before I faked my death to continue to serve you, but to act as though I was dead. I knew that as paranoid as Rouvellier was, he wouldn't doubt the Innocence, Hevlaska, _and_ Timcanpy, in addition to all of the apparent evidence that I had been brutally slaughtered in my room, my body reduced to nothing more than bloody slurry and splashed all over the walls. I knew that I would either have to make it seem feasible that there wouldn't be a body, or produce one that could fool even the most stringent inspection by the highest caliber coroner the Order had to offer. I couldn't afford to be caught in my escape, so I opted for the former. Probably they believed that an Akuma so powerful that even I couldn't defeat it came into my room using dimensional travel, and slaughtered me brutally before hitting me with a bullet to turn me into dust to eliminate any chance that I could come back to haunt the Earl. The stage is almost set for the apocalyptic final battle between the Black Order and the Noah. At that time, you, and Lenalee, as the two halves of the Heart, must be the ones to lead the forces into battle. You two share an indescribable bond between you that can either save the world, or destroy it, and you two along with it. You two must come to terms with your relationship by then, and fully harness the power of the Heart, or all hope is lost. I came here to tell you that, but my words can only take you so far. You must take what I say to heart, and _understand_ what I mean. My days as an Exorcist are over. I knew this day would come, Allen… The day when I would hand my secrets onto you… Use them as you will, but always be aware that there will be those in the Order who will fear and hate you because of them. The Order doesn't like me. I'm a sorcerer, and that scares them. They fear that I will become like the Earl, and try to destroy humanity. Allen, frighteningly enough, the final battle will come within the next two years, and you and every other Exorcist must be ready when it does. To do that, you are going to need these…" Cross said, handing Allen both of his anti-Akuma weapons. Allen gasped and grabbed the gun out of the air as Cross threw it, and used his other hand to grab Grave of Maria before it hit the ground, feeling that it would be horribly rude to treat a corpse like that. He knew that Grave of Maria was nothing more than a shell with Innocence in it, now. But still, it felt like using a corpse, like the most foul of magicks, Necromancy, in which a spellcaster animated the bodies of the dead to use for their own nefarious purposes.

"This last gift is for you, Lenalee…" Cross said, handing Lenalee two books, both of which were black leatherbound with gold edged paper, and were in pristine condition, despite looking old as the Earth itself. The top book was labeled _The True Bible_, and the book underneath had no title, but Lenalee could feel a strong presence coming from it.

"You're probably wondering what that second book is. It contains every bit of magical lore in existence. It taught me everything I know, and there are even things in there that I don't know. I enchanted it, though, to telepathically educate you on everything in there once you open it. It should only take 3 or 4 hours to download into your mind, but it's an intense experience that will probably leave you dazed for several days, afterward… Don't plan on going anywhere. Allen. My last instructions to Timcanpy were to sever all connections to me, and to treat you as his new master. You'll find out what you need him for when the time comes. Learn to use my anti-Akuma weapons to their fullest power. If you don't, even if you are the Heart, all is lost. I'll fix the ceiling as I leave. Goodbye…"

And with that, Cross spun and a cloud of dust exploded around him along with swirling lights, and he was gone. The ceiling had repaired itself, and the room was as empty as if the former exorcist had never been there. Allen and Lenalee looked nervously at each other, and then exited the room together, holding hands as much for the closeness as for mutual support. Cross's omen had unsettled them more than either cared to admit.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Tyki! The Earl has called a family meeting!" Fiddler said, snapping Tyki out of his daze. He had been extremely down ever since Road had been killed. He was furious at Allen Walker. He knew that Allen was just doing his job, but he couldn't forgive the bastard who killed Road. The two of them had been extremely close, and then, he had found out that Road had actually managed to lose a battle. She was the oldest of all the Noah, and arguably the most powerful. If she couldn't beat Allen, none but the Earl could. Although Tyki had often suspected that it would come down to Allen and the Earl at some point, he had never thought that it would be so very close. He knew that the last person who was so close in power to the Earl was Neah Walker, and he had betrayed the Noah. That betrayal still stung. It was hard to get over such a violation of trust, and now, he finds out that the one who was supposed to be the most powerful, and the oldest was killed by a mere boy of fifteen years. The only conclusion that he could really come to was that Allen had used some kind of dirty trick to beat Road. He knew well of Road's feelings for him, and he must have manipulated her toward that end. Just the thought of it made Tyki steam.

And to top it off, Cyril was raving. He had been ranting and raging all week about how very dead Allen Walker would be when he got his hands on the brat. The man was completely inconsolable, and even Wisely, who was usually the calm one, seemed tense. Tricia could be seen crying most of the time, although she believed that Road was climbing on the roof of their house, as she so often did when she wanted to look at the stars, and that she fell off, and landed on the rock path, hitting her head and killing herself. The Earl fashioned a false body that matched the verdict that he had given Tricia, and they buried it in the garden in their backyard. Although Tricia wasn't stupid, she was woefully ignorant, having had the wool pulled over her eyes about the Noah Family by the Earl and by Cyril, and by any of the other Noah that she may have come into contact with.

Now, she lamented often that she had not been there to save Road, blaming herself. Although Cyril didn't really care anything about her, he pretended to try to console her, and played the part of the loving husband perfectly, even in Road's death. As Tyki thought about all of this, Fiddler tapped his foot, and finally snapped at him.

"Hurry up! Or I'll set my fucking parasites on you!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Tyki said, holding his head. He had the worst headache, and it only got worse as he stood and followed Fiddler out, lighting a cigarette for what seemed like the tenth time that day. He knew it was a bad habit, but he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

"Hello, friends. Once again, we gather together, and though we were almost complete once more, we have sadly lost a member. Road Kamelot was a beloved member of our family, and an indispensible ally. However, it has recently come to light that she appears to have betrayed us in her final moments. As I was going through some old documents, I found that a large number of them were missing, documents that only Road and I knew about. These documents are vital, and if they fell into the hands of the Order, they could spell disaster for us. Lamentably, that is exactly what seems to have happened. It seems that the events involving the Fourteenth are repeating themselves once more, and I wonder if the bond that I once shared with my precious family is weakening. I have never had any reason before to suspect that any of you would betray me. However, I never expected Road to go against me, either, just as I believed that Neah would be by my side forever as well…" The Earl said, tears forming in his large eyes, and pouring down his grayish-blue cheeks. "Thus, it saddens me to have to suspect you all like this, but you will all now submit to mind scans run by myself. In this time of great upheaval, I cannot afford to have any wayward disciples. Furthermore, we must search for the one that Road gave the information to, and take it back using any means necessary."

The rest of the Noah Family, clearly disturbed by this new information, nodded, and stood up, clearing out of the room. The Earl would come to scan them in his own time. None were more disturbed by this information than Tyki, though, and he was sure that he knew who she had given the information to. Although the Earl was unaware of her infatuation with Allen, he wasn't so ignorant. The Earl just didn't understand how powerful an emotion, and how strong a motivator love could be. The one the Earl always loved most was himself, and perhaps that was for the best… After all, it would be a little bit frightening to see a good Millennium Earl. It just didn't fit.

"Okey dokey… Let's see…" Komui said tiredly, struggling to sit up straight as he handed a folder to Allen, Miranda, and Lenalee. There's a person in Brussels who claims to be a pyromancer. We've sent finders over there who've observed him, along with some members of Crow, but he isn't using any known form of magic to do this. We're afraid that with an Innocence this potentially powerful, the Noah will attempt to take it as soon as possible. Therefore, we're sending you two, our most powerful non-general exorcists, to do the job. Miranda, we'll need you in case there is a battle, and Allen and Lenalee are wounded. We cannot afford to lose any more exorcists, and we need all of the new exorcists that we can get. Inspector Rouvellier still does not trust you, especially after you managed to slay Road Kamelot without garnering so much as a scratch. However, he has agreed not to send Link with you, provided you wear this bracelet at all times. It won't record your exact activities, but it will note your location to within a radius of 60 feet. In addition, Lou Fa asked me to wish you luck and to give you her latest prototype. It's an Innocence tracker. Accurate to within 100 feet, and able to track even through steel, lead, and stone out to a distance of 50 miles. She, Rikei, and Shifu have been working on it since they got here a month ago. Be careful with it, and record all information about it and bring it back to the R&D Department for further analysis."

"Wow. That's incredible. Brussels, huh? I always heard they had great chocolate in Belgium…" Lenalee said. At this, Allen's mouth started to water. He loved chocolate… Especially dark chocolate. The darker the better. Sometimes, he even ate baker's chocolate… but only when he could actually get his hands on it.

"Chocolate! My favorite!"

"They also have good cheese, Lenalee-chan." Komui reminded her. Allen jumped excitedly.

"CHEESE! My other favorite!"

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee said with a giggle. "Is there any kind of food that _isn't_ your favorite?"

"Marmite*." Allen said resolutely… Lenalee and Komui looked at him blankly.

"Um… M-Marmite?"

"Marmite."

"Yeah, I heard you… But what, dear boy, is Marmite?" Komui asked, confused.

"You know, it's an Irish food product, a paste made from a yeast base, used to cover toast, crumpets, sandwiches, crackers, so on… It's bitter, salty, and malty, and completely disgusting. I had to eat it a lot when I was training under Cross because it was cheap, and could be eaten cold between two slices of bread with some jam."

"Wow. I uh… never knew…" Lenalee said uncertainly. Was he joking, or what?

"Right. Well, anyhow, now we know what to make for your birthday meal. The portal in the Ark is already ready for you to go through. Be careful. Like I said, we can't afford to lose any exorcists right now. We've tightened security at all of the HQs around the world a hundredfold, we've called in arcane specialists from all over the world to give us the best protection money can buy, but it may not be enough. If we don't have any warriors, all the protection in the world won't save us."

"I know, Nii-san. Please don't worry about us. We'll be fine." Lenalee said, hugging Komui tightly. Allen bowed politely, and Miranda nodded before the three of them walked out and through the portal to their new destination, Brussels, Belgium.

"Wow! This city is so beautiful!" Lenalee said brightly, staring around, clearly impressed by the amazing sights in the city. Miranda seemed nervous. She had explained that when she had been in school as a child, she had taken French classes, but that she had always been something of a dunce in that area, and so, she was barely even passable in speaking foreign languages other than English, which was similar in format to German, and so she managed to learn it.

Fortunately, it didn't matter too much, because Allen, who had travelled the entire world while with Cross and with Mana, could speak many languages. Lenalee took out the Innocence tracker, and turned it on, typing in their coordinates, and looking down at the screen, which told them that the Innocence was about a mile northeast of them.

"We had better hurry, or else we'll miss him." Lenalee said with a smile. Allen nodded, and pulled Miranda along, who immediately started running as well. The three of them were an odd group, three foreigners running through the streets, wearing strange clothes, looking at something that looked like an oversized gun as they went. The three exorcists paid no mind, though, as they followed the signal through the more historical places in Brussels, and out of the wealthy district, further and further into the poorer sections, and finally into the slums, where the streets were no longer straight, and well kept, but narrow, winding and a horrible mess. As they ran, they saw filthy children running around in tattered clothes and often with no shoes. Once, Miranda almost had her pocket picked. Two children approached them, and distracted the three of them, pretending to ask for help, while the third child reached into Miranda's pocket, and pulled out her change purse. Miranda would not even have noticed if Allen had not then grabbed the child's arm, and taken the change purse back. Miranda looked between Allen and the child, shocked that she had been robbed so easily.

"Maintenant, vous avez quittez de le bensoin, ou les police nous allons appelez." (You need to leave, now, or we will call the police.) In truth, Allen had no intention of calling the police, but usually the threat of police involvement was enough to scare away the common thief. Sure enough, the children went pale, and dropped the small purse and scampered off. Lenalee and Miranda looked at him in surprise, and Miranda sighed in relief.

"What did you say to them to give them such a scare?" Miranda asked uncertainly.

"I simply told them that if they didn't leave, that I would be forced to involve the police in this matter." Allen said politely with a smile. Lenalee and Miranda looked at each other and laughed, knowing that it wasn't in Allen's nature to cause undue trouble for others. Especially when they were only trying to survive.

"It was good of you to allow them to leave." Lenalee said sweetly, kissing Allen on the cheek. Allen blushed slightly, and then the three of them continued moving, picking up their pace. Before they could get very far, though, they came across two people that they unfortunately knew all too well.

"Ah… Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and… What was the third one's name?" the first one whispered to the other one.

"Honestly, Tyki, how could you forget the name of such a rare beauty? Miranda Lotto, what a lovely surprise…" Cyril said, bowing politely to the three of them.

"I must say that I am glad that I was the one to come across you three. The Earl did not initially think it was a good idea for me to face you, Boy, but, I am ready to kill you quite completely. This time, I won't just make a tiny hole in your heart. I will rip it out with my bare hands, and have my Tease eat the entire thing. But not before I force you to watch while your teammates are tortured and killed at our hands. First, my Tease will eat the girl exorcist's fingers, centimeter by exquisitely agonizing centimeter. Then, her hands. Then her arms. Then, they will slowly devour her toes, her feet, her legs, and work their way up from there until there is nothing left of her but a few hairs. And then, they will eat those, too. Then, I will reach into Miss Lotto's chest using my "Choose" ability, and rearrange her organs as I see fit, as slowly and excruciatingly painfully as I desire, until she finally dies of internal bleeding. Then, just to make sure there's no revival, I'll have my Tease devour her body. And only then, after you've literally gone mad from horror and grief, will I finally come to call for you. You can run if you like, Boy. But you can't hide. Road's death will be avenged. The Earl thinks her a traitor. He believes that she followed in the Fourteenth's footsteps, and assisted you before disappearing into the night as it were, which is why she hasn't reincarnated. But I know the truth, and you know the truth…" Tyki said, his usual good humored nature a thing of the past, now replaced by ice cold sadism and hatred. "You used her affection for you. You seduced the information out of her, and then betrayed her by exorcising her inner Noah, and killing her human body for good measure. That's why she hasn't reincarnated. Because the Dreams' memories are truly gone, now. You have truly destroyed part of the Noah Clan's legacy."

"You are wrong, Tyki. Road's soul has not left this earth. And I didn't trick or seduce her. But you two were very close, and I know that nothing I say will convince you of my innocence in this matter. So as much as I might like to try to reason with you, I understand that it is pointless to reason with a madman."

"You're right on one account. It's pointless to reason with me. There is no reason to be had. So allow me the pleasure of attempting to avenge Road's death. There is no more to be talked about. Fight me, Allen Walker."

Allen nodded, and activated his Sword of Exorcism and launched himself at Tyki, who blocked the sword with one of his Dark Matter Shields. Tyki then sank into the ground, and rose back up behind Allen, attempting to catch him by surprise, but Allen turned and blocked Tyki's attack with his Edge weapon, slashing at the Noah, and jumping back, reaching out with his right arm and attempting to entangle Tyki in his Clown Belt. Tyki dodged the first shot of webbing, but his arm was entangled by the second shot, and pulled inward. Tyki pushed off the ground and leapt high into the air effectively dragging Allen along with him, knowing that he couldn't simply phase through Innocence based weapons. He then landed next to Lenalee, who jumped back, pulling Miranda with her as Tyki disappeared into the ground, falling fast, causing Allen to crash on the dilapidated stone street, and finally relinquish his grasp, allowing Tyki's arm to slide into the ground along with the rest of his body, and then leap out of a trashed building to Allen's left, growing a Dark Matter blade out of his fist, and stabbing at Allen, who grabbed the blade with his Edge, and threw Tyki over his shoulder, turning and slashing at him, finally making a suitable wound on the impeccably dressed Noah. Tyki grimaced and looked around for something to use as an advantage. The problem was that Allen knew most of his powers, even the true powers of "Joyd". Tyki released several of his larger Tease, and had them fly out, releasing blast after blast of Dark Matter in random sprays, making it difficult to dodge them, and also adding to the confusion. He knew that Allen and Lenalee could probably not be affected by such a weak attack, but Miranda was not so powerful or confident. He then focused a massive amount of Dark Matter around his hand, and jumped, before punching the ground right in front of Allen, causing the entire street corner to be torn apart by the shock wave that ensued. Allen managed to grab Lenalee and Miranda and pull them to safety, but just barely.

"Listen, Miranda. Make a Time Out field and keep you and Lenalee safe. If it starts looking bad, I'll distract them, and you run. Grab the new accommodator and get the hell out of here."

"What! No! I'll never leave without you!" Lenalee protested. Her complaints fell on deaf ears, though, because Allen merely smiled and waved.

"Please, Lenalee. I don't think my soul could rest knowing that you also died." Allen said, appealing to Lenalee's compassionate side. Lenalee thought for a minute, and nodded.

"A-alright. But you have to do something for me."

"Of course. What is it?" Allen asked quietly. Lenalee smiled shyly. "You have to kiss me."

"N-now! I hardly think this is…"

Allen's next words were lost, though, when Lenalee embraced him tightly, and kissed him on the lips, closing her eyes as she did so. Allen then relented and began to kiss back, bringing his arms around her back, and holding onto her. In respect, Miranda looked away, resolving to pretend that she saw nothing in regards to Komui. Even she knew how insanely jealous Lenalee's older brother could get.

After a moment, they pulled away, and Allen smiled. "I'll be sure to catch up with you."

"You'd better. If you die, I'll kill you…" Lenalee said jokingly. Allen laughed weakly, and walked out of the Time Out circle, facing Tyki once more.

"Have you made peace with your allies, Boy? You and that girl have become rather close. Even I have to say that you have good taste in women."

"You don't get to talk about Lenalee like that. I'd like to at least have a chance to tell you my own side of the events leading up to Road's death. I can see that neither of you are wont to give me such a chance, though."

Cyril and Tyki looked at each other, and shrugged. Allen was being uncommonly diplomatic in such an intense moment.

"Well, at the very least, we'll be amused. Go on, boy. Tell us what you _think_ actually happened. After all, we don't actually have any proof to the contrary, do we?" Tyki said darkly, and in a low, threatening tone, daring Allen to contradict his idealized impression of Road.

"You and Road were quite as close as I am with my allies. I am sorry that I had to kill her. In her last moments, she made more of an impression on me than she had made in the entire time that I had known her. She displayed an unsettling level of humanity and gentility, and frankly, I was quite taken aback by it. She took me into her dream world, and said that if I would agree to her terms, that she would give me some useful information, and then, allow me to kill her. Whether it was right of me to agree to these conditions, and whether I am telling the truth, I will leave for you to decide, and the actual terms of the agreement needn't be discussed. Suffice to say, it involved her… extremely unusual and rather unsettling admiration of me. To be honest, I still don't understand it. I represented everything that she as a Noah should have hated. I have an Innocence, I am ardently against the Earl, and most of all, I'm a human, a normal human… well, as normal as one such as I could possibly be. She mentioned in the rewinding town that she hated this world full of lowlife humans, and that she couldn't wait for the Earl's plans to come to fruition. And yet, in her dream world, she seemed more apt to feel the exact opposite. She displayed an almost annoying level of compassion and empathy for humans, and seemed to want to help the Order defeat the Earl. I say annoying not because I find empathy for others itself annoying, but because I had always kept myself satisfied in my opposition of the Clan of Noah with the belief that despite the fact that you may once have been humans, that in joining the Earl, and turning toward evil, that you had become nothing more than monsters in human forms. Now, though, I-I'm not so sure. You all love and care deeply for the other members of the Noah Family, and share a deep seated bond that cannot be broken even by death. It was one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do, killing Road. I did it, though, knowing that not only had she asked me to, but that it was my duty as an exorcist to do so… Feel free to laugh, now… or attack me, or whatever it is you would normally do in these circumstances."

"Wow… That was actually very deep, Boy, and it is either an extremely well thought out and elaborate lie, or the truth. While I am loath to believe that Road would ever show such compassion towards humans or the Order, it is hard to argue with such a well spoken answer. I still have to try to kill you, of course, but perhaps we are not so different after all….." Tyki began. Allen had a bad feeling, though, and it turned out to be accurate, when Tyki's face hardened once more and he said, "Or if I said something like that, would you be satisfied? The truth is, I don't believe that bullshit for a moment. Road, regardless of how attracted to you physically she was, would never betray the Noah willingly. You tricked her, and now the Earl believes her to be an enemy. Thus, I will murder you, and then I will take great pleasure in hunting down your little girlfriend and murdering her as well. The war will end, and we will be victorious. The world will bow down to us, as it was always meant to."

"I see. Then we have nothing more to discuss, do we?" Allen said, truly sounding sad. He remembered the time that he had told Tyki that he wished that they were only playing cards, and that nobody's life was at stake. How he wished that they could be friends, and not have to try to kill each other. He had meant it. But now, Tyki's closed minded attitude was proving impossible to move past.

Allen dodged as Tyki attacked with a Dark Matter enhanced punch, which shattered the ground, and the exorcist jumped up into the air and leapt off the side of a building and slashed at Tyki with his edge before landing on the ground facing away from him and pulling out his Sword of Exorcism and spinning around to slash at Tyki again with that brushing against Tyki's chest, causing the Noah to gasp in momentary pain as the power of Allen's Innocence tore at his inner Noah. Although Tyki had never experienced the feeling of having someone reach into his chest as he had done to so many other people, he imagined that this would be something like how it felt. Allen smirked and thrust the sword at Tyki, who just barely managed to jump back before the sword went clear through his chest.

Panting heavily, and sweating profusely, Tyki removed his hat and handed it to Cyril, who looked at Tyki with concern, almost as if to offer to switch out. Tyki shook his head, though.

"The boy is mine. I will be the one to murder him."

"Are you sure? I feel quite confident that I can do it just as painfully as you could, and I'm a distance fighter, which would pose a problem for young Mr. Walker, here."

"I know. Please allow me to finish my battle, Cyril. I would not be able to forgive myself if I didn't try my hardest to avenge Road's death."

"You acted all this time as nothing more than an uncle, Tyki, but you really loved her, didn't you?" Cyril asked, smiling sadly and raising an eyebrow. "You pretended to be annoyed by her antics, but the truth is, you took every chance you could get to be around her."

"And if I said it was true? If I said that I did love Road? Would it change anything? Would she have loved Walker any less? Would she have not had to die? Would she have remained loyal to the Noah Clan as she was supposed to?"

"Tyki. I hate the boy for killing Road as much as you do. And I hate him because he utilizes the Innocence. But you are fighting him for the wrong reason. You are fighting him out of jealousy. Look at him now. Even though he knows we're distracted, he doesn't attack us. He is waiting for us to finish our conversation. As much as I hate to admit it, he's as honorable as he is powerful."

"Boy!" Tyki said. Allen snapped his head around and looked at Tyki. "You were really speaking the truth when you told us what happened?"

"Yes." Allen said seriously.

"Then perhaps, we should end it here for today. After all, one more exorcist isn't going to make or break this war, and you've already proven that it would be impossible to defeat you without sustaining heavy injuries. Perhaps another day, we will fight to the death. Until that day comes, never let your guard down."

"And nor should you, Tyki…" Allen said. Tyki laughed good naturedly, and he and Cyril turned around and a portal into the Ark appeared for them, and they disappeared from sight.

As soon as they were gone, Lenalee and Miranda came down and looked at Allen, who smiled placatingly at them.

"We should find this exorcist and make our way back to HQ." Allen said, trying to end the conversation. But Lenalee wouldn't allow him to. It was only when a man showed up on the scene, wielding what appeared to be a clawed metal hand. He looked suspiciously at the three exorcists, and then a pure white fire erupted from his hand and he ran at Allen, attacking immediately. Allen pulled out his Sword of Exorcism, not wanting to risk touching the flame directly, and blocked it, causing the man to fall back in shock.

"Wh-who are you?" He asked. Allen smiled politely at him and stepped forward.

"I'm Allen Walker. This is Lenalee Lee, and Miranda Lotto. We're Exorcists with the Black Order."

"Oh… You mean that group that those people in beige robes were talking about?"

"Yes. That's us."

"Leave! Now! They told me you would come to collect me. I'm not leaving, though. I'm happy here. I protect the people here from the depredations of the wealthy. It's not a glorious life, but the people here like me, and I like them. I will not have you taking me away from my calling."

"Your calling is to God. That's why you were given the Innocence. There's a secret war going on between a man called the Millennium Earl, and the Black Order. If the Earl is allowed to win this war, then the entire world is doomed." Allen reasoned. The man still shook his head, though.

"I don't care about the entire world. I only care about _my_ world. And _my_ world consists of the impoverished and downtrodden people of this city."

"Okay…" Allen said, switching tactics. "I guess if you don't mind subjecting your people to the attacks of demons, then, we can't stop you…" Allen said offhandedly.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee said urgently, not understanding what he was trying to do. But the man just laughed.

"Please. Don't bother threatening me with demons. You don't know what a real demon is. A real demon is a mayor who claims to care about the poor, but then orders the police to beat them down when they try to protest. A demon is a police officer who is supposed to protect all citizens equally, but doesn't give a shit about a poor person who's being murdered right in front of him! A demon is a doctor who refuses to treat a dying man just because he hasn't the money to pay his obscenely high medical bill! _They_ are the _real_ demons! No mythical monster could ever compare to the evil and hypocrisy displayed by humans in this world who say that they believe in change, but then sit around on their fat asses, caring nothing for the needy right in front of them! How dare you speak of demons! You know nothing of demons!" The man ranted. Allen could say nothing to this.

"Okay. Come on, Lenalee, Miranda. We're leaving. I wish you luck in your mission…" Allen said to the man as he turned around. Lenalee looked between Allen and the man, but finally ran after the white haired exorcist, eventually catching up to him.

"Allen-kun, we can't just leave him! We _have_ to bring him back to the Order, even if it's by force."

"No. Doing something like that would make us no better than the Noah Clan. And besides, I can feel an Akuma's presence in the area. It will be there to kill the man any moment. We will not go far."

"You're using him as bait!" Lenalee cried furiously, waving her arms around frantically. Allen shook his head.

"No. I'm offering this man proof that humans are the least of his worries if he doesn't join us. We're the good guys. We don't threaten, force, coerce, or harm innocents. However, would you rather him be offered proof of the existence and danger of Akuma now when we're here to help him, or later after we've left and he can do nothing to defeat the hordes of monsters that are sure to descend on him?"

"I see. You're right. We should turn around, though. We can't wait too long after the Akuma attacks, can we?"

Lenalee didn't need to say any more, though, because suddenly, they heard a huge explosion, and Allen's eye activated, and zoomed in on the location. Sure enough, there was one Akuma that looked a little bit different from normal level 4s. It was warped and looked as though it had been pieced together from various other Akuma of all levels, and the soul that was in it was horrifically decayed, even more so than a level 4. It was enough to make Allen dizzy for a moment, leaving him breathless, and causing him to break out in a cold sweat. It was as though he had seen fear and death incarnate in that one brief moment. More frightening than seeing the soul of that Akuma destroyed when Road ordered it to self destruct, more terrifying than fighting Tyki the first time, even more dreadful than feeling as though his life was no longer his own because of the Fourteenth. Lenalee looked over at Allen in shock as he fell to the ground, clutching his head, tears spilling from his eyes and pouring down his cheeks. She knelt down next to him and put a hand on his back, trying to calm him down.

"Allen-kun! What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Allen lied. Lenalee looked at him suspiciously, but let it drop as Allen jumped up and ran toward the Akuma, heedless of the ominous feeling that he was getting, feeling sick to his stomach as though he were running right into a gaping maw of entropy, chaos, and devastation.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Oh my God! What is that monstrosity!" Lenalee cried as she saw what must have been a level 5 Akuma. Instead of the emaciated, and tiny mockingly cherubic appearance of the level 4 Akuma, this one was truly a monstrosity, with odd bulges all over its body, and then other parts that were so thin that they looked like they could be snapped in half between two fingers. Eyes, ears, arms, hands, legs, feet, were all mismatched, ugly, and malformed in a way that screamed of the insane experiments of Dr. Frankenstein himself. The creature's teeth were jagged, yellowish brown, and sticking out at all angles, and its skin was the same mottled gray as the level 4, but stretched in some places over bulges, and sagging loosely in others so that the whole skin looked like patchwork, but without the stitches.

Allen worked as hard as he could, forcing his cursed eye not to extend the ability to see the Akuma's soul to Lenalee and Miranda. He knew that it would do them no good to be as terrified as he was. The soul was like nothing he had ever seen. It was literally burning, and the chains that bound it were writhing and cutting into the bones, cracking them, even though the soul was little more than a blur, now. The soul had been so devoured by Dark Matter, and the evolutionary process, that even if he did release it, he got the feeling that it would do no good. The Akuma itself seemed to be writhing in time with the chains, moaning pitifully in pain, and unlike the Level 4, who seemed in perfect control of its senses, this one had the spark of pure madness in its bulging, bulbous, and mismatched eyes that seemed slowly to throb, even as the lamentable creature looked around.

"Guooohhh!" It moaned, clutching its head as though dealing with a migraine. "No… please… n-not again!" It begged to an invisible voice. The pleas seemed to fall on deaf invisible ears, though, because in the next moment, the monster disappeared and slammed Allen so hard in the stomach that he felt several ribs shatter, and his entire skeleton being jarred by the force of impact as he was thrown back into the nearest building, turning it into nothing more than dust. Allen slumped to the ground, momentarily incapacitated. He had allowed himself to be sidetracked, and had paid the price.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee shrieked, starting to run towards him. Allen gasped and shook his head, though, standing shakily on his feet.

"L-Lena…lee. You're… faster than I am. T-take the new accommodator and Miranda and run, and I'll keep fighting."

"Are you mad! That thing turned the building to dust! You can't fight alone!"

"I'll be fine. I promise…" Allen lied. He was almost positive that he was going to lose. He had to try, though, had to buy Lenalee some time to escape with the new exorcist. The Order couldn't afford to lose any more Innocence, and there were finders that could bring the Innocence back to the Order.

Allen staggered forward and leapt up into the air, grimacing as he twisted his leg and shot out his Clown Belt from his right hand, capturing the Akuma. The Akuma struggled heartily against it, and before Allen could use the situation to his advantage, he found that the Akuma had broken free, and he himself had been thrown into the street, and was getting soaked after destroying a fire hydrant.

"M-must KILL!" The Akuma groaned, gritting its horribly mismatched teeth, and shaking its head. It then swiped the air with its claws and sent a wave of Dark Matter at Allen over and over again, continuing to bombard him with the stuff. Allen grunted with each new wave, unable to stand anymore. It was over. He could see that Lenalee, Miranda, and the new guy had not run yet, but his lungs had been crushed, and he couldn't shout at them to leave. Finally, then, the Akuma seemed to disappear momentarily, then it reappeared right in front of Allen and punched him as hard as it possibly could, crushing his entire chest, turning his bones to dust and his organs to mush. Upon seeing the oh so very dead exorcist, the Akuma started to grin maniacally.

"I-I did it… I did it…" It laughed, eyes wide with madness and insane glee. "I killed the Heart! Oh how the Earl will reward me! I will be revered above all other Akuma! He will finally give me the respect that I deserve!" The Akuma shouted dancing over Allen and spitting on his corpse.

"_Allen…"_

"_Nng… It hurts… I-is this death? Am I dead?"_

"_Allen…"_

"_I c-can't move… Why am I in such pain?"_

"_Allen…"_

"_What!"_

"_Do you know who I am?" a gentle female voice came. Allen could vaguely see a spiky headed shape before him._

"_R-Road?" he gasped._

"_Yes. You are technically dead. But you don't have to be. You have a chance to return. But only if you want to. You have to decide that it's really what you want to do."_

"_I-I'll do anything!"_

"_Would you really?" Road asked doubtfully. "You're not going to like this. You've been resisting heartily up until now, whether you know it or not."_

"_What is it! I need to keep my friends… L-Lenalee… safe! I can't let her… let them die."_

"_Okay. You need to accept my powers, Allen. You've been resisting in the belief that it would be wrong to use the powers of a Noah. But the powers of the Noah, while dark, are not inherently evil. Like the Innocence, it is all in how it is used. The genes of Noah don't choose a person based on their past, just like the Innocence doesn't. For instance, one of your generals, Winters Sokaro, was a mass murderer, scheduled for execution, before they found out that he was an accommodator. The Innocence hasn't changed his personality. Only his motivation has changed. So too can you use the Dark Matter for good, just like you use that eye of yours."_

"_But Lenalee was already mad enough that I made a deal with you. What will she think if I then start using your power?"_

"_You'd rather have her think well of you than be alive?" Road asked, raising an eyebrow._

"_Can I have some time to think about that one?" Allen asked, causing Road to giggle. "There's no time for that. You only have a few minutes. After that, Anoxia will set in, and your brain will be permanently damaged from lack of air. Decide."_

"_But, it isn't that simple! This affects my entire life!"_

"_Yes, it does. And it will lengthen your life as well."_

_ At this, Allen raised his eyebrow. He had the distinct feeling that she didn't just mean that he wouldn't die immediately if he accepted the powers._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Noah are ageless. If a Noah passes on their powers, then the one who receives the power also extend their lives. They don't live forever, but they do live much longer than any human. I passed on my power to you through the simplest way possible. If you think about it, you'll know what I'm talking about."_

"_WHAT! I'll never die!_

"_No. You will eventually die of old age, but not for a long time, and you can die of violence, sickness, and poison and so on. Even I was capable of dying under the right circumstances, and the powers that I gave you aren't as potent as the powers that I initially received. You gain extended life, and regeneration, but nothing else. Your choice, pal."_

"_If I don't accept the powers, I'll die now?"_

"_Correct, and so will Lenalee, Miranda, and the newbie. Even I probably couldn't defeat a level 5 in open battle unaided. I can see that you've already made up your mind. So you should know, the first regeneration will be instantaneous because of the buildup over time. However, after that, it will work more like extreme accelerated healing, similar to what the swordsman had, but faster."_

"_I'll do it. Goodbye, Road. Thank you."_

And with that, there was an explosion of black light, and Allen's eyes snapped open, at which point he found that his body was perfectly healed. He jumped up, feeling more powerful than ever before. Road had lied to him. She said that regeneration and agelessness were the most of it. But this new feeling of power was incredible.

_So this is what Noah feel like when their powers awaken. It's incredible._

Allen shook his head, clearing the static and surged forward, slashing violently at the level 5, causing it to gasp in agony as Allen's Edge rent its flesh open, spraying the field with thick, black tar that Allen guessed was a substitute for blood, now. He looked down at his arm, which had copious amounts of the tar on it, and gasped. It was the poor creature's soul. It was so degraded that it was beginning to leak physically into the body and turn to ichor, coursing through the creature like blood. That was the fate of these creatures, and this was why the level 5 was in such constant agony as it was.

Allen jumped up, pushing off the head of the Akuma just as it swiped a clawed hand at the white haired exorcist, and spun around in midair, turning his Edge to his Sword, and slashing at the Akuma, hitting it straight through the neck. The Akuma roared in agony as soul ichor was drawn out as to a magnet behind the blade and coated the anti-Akuma weapon. The Akuma wasn't done, yet, though. It had only gone into a berserker rage from its own pain and hatred. It turned around and punched Allen square in the chest, cracking more ribs. Even as they were cracked, though, they began to heal. Allen flipped in the air, and dug his Edge into the ground to slow himself down. When finally he stopped, he winced as he stood and faced the Akuma again.

On the sidelines, Lenalee and Miranda, and the new accommodator all watched in awe as the high speed battle between Exorcist and Akuma took place. Allen slashed over and over again at the Akuma, drawing out more of the black, thick, foul ichor, but nothing seemed to fully bring it down. Finally, Allen tried a different approach. He switched to his Edge, grabbed the Akuma with his Clown Belt and flung it into the air, allowing it time to reach an apex before jumping up and in one split second, doing a Cross Grave, and punching it, sending it flying into the ground, where it landed with a sickening crack, and a wave of malefic energy. Allen then brought out his Sword once more and twirled it, seemingly suspended in midair for but the tiniest fraction of a second, before putting his feet on the end of the hilt, and riding the sword down, and skewering the level 5 with the sword, causing positive rivers of the ichor to flood out of the creature's body, as it began to shrivel up and disintegrate. Allen could feel the soul dissipating, instead of passing on, and it hurt him to have to treat a tormented soul like that, but as much as he pitied the souls of the Akuma, he loved his friends more. Sadly, he looked down at the mismatched body of the Akuma, feeling tears forming in his eyes, and his usually calm demeanor faltering. Lenalee ran over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him curiously.

"Allen-kun, you look horrible. Are you alright? Are you sick? You don't have a fever, do you?"

To each of these questions, Allen answered merely by shaking or nodding his head, not bothering to elaborate. Lenalee wouldn't understand. She could never understand. And he didn't want her to. It wasn't because he felt particularly important with his ability to see the Akuma. He hated it, hated it with almost as much passion as he hated the Earl himself. But he wouldn't wish his curse on anyone, especially not someone he loved as much as Lenalee. To be able to see the nearly destroyed and mutilated soul of an Akuma who was beyond being saved was almost more than Allen was able to bear. That was why he hid it from everyone else.

"Allen-kun… I noticed that even after we got close, even with your eye working, none of us could see the soul of that Akuma. I know you were really upset when you saw the soul of the Level 4. Was this one really that much worse?"

"I don't really want to discuss it, Lenalee. It would not have done you any good to see that creature's soul."

"It might have helped me understand you a little bit better." Lenalee replied, trying to smile optimistically. Allen couldn't help but scowl inwardly at her lamentable ignorance. His "gift" for seeing the souls of the Akuma had never been seen as a good thing. It was what remained of Mana's hatred for him for being so weak. He had sold his soul to the Earl, and so, he would kill the Earl with his own hand. But one day, when he died as well, he would see the Earl again in Hell, where he would join his enemy that he so hated in eternal torment. Perhaps they were not so different after all. It was true that the Earl was evil, and that he had to be destroyed. But Allen couldn't help but feel that his own sins were, if anything, worse than the Earl's. He had also turned his back on God, if only for a moment, and now, he tried to live happily, pretending that he was a good person for trying to save the world. He wondered what Mana thought of him, now, seeing how he had been deceiving himself for so long.

"Sorry, Lenalee." Was all he could manage to say without crying.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"_Allen-kun!" Lenalee cried as she was swallowed up by the darkness that surrounded them in that broken world that plagued both their dreams, that world ruled by the Earl and the Noah, that world where they had tragically lost the war, and all hope for humanity with it, where humanity was naught but a fleeting memory, a bump on the cosmic scale of what had once been, and what was now lost to the sands of time, replaced by Akuma, the Noah, and the Earl, who held illimitable dominion over all*, and who crushed all in his way._

"_Lenalee!" Allen responded, jumping desperately to save her, but missing her hand by a fraction, feeling the tip of her finger brush against his, that brief contact serving only to remind him so cruelly how if he had been faster, maybe he could have saved her. But now, all he could hear was her screams of agony as she was torn limb from limb by the hateful and pitiful Akuma, made all the more resentful and bitter because they were no longer able to be saved, because now, they would have to spend an eternity enslaved to the Earl, who no longer needed anyone's help to create more Akuma servants, to increase his own power, and to gloat so pugnaciously about his victory, dancing around in that sickeningly affectionate, yet sadistically mocking manner that only he could manage. Not he. It. The Earl had ceased to be human ages ago when he abandoned his humanity for power. The Earl was nothing more than a thing, a monster fit only to be destroyed. But nobody could destroy it. The Akuma were compelled to serve, and Allen was no longer powerful enough, his Innocence having been destroyed, and his will broken._

_ All his friends were dead, now. Allen was alone, and could only watch and lament as the Earl continued to torture the Akuma with their own existence, and as he continued to rule over the end of mankind. Allen had no idea what the Earl had planned next. Maybe he would recreate humanity in a form more pleasing to him. Maybe he would go after God himself next, try to destroy the God that he so hated, that he so resented for rejecting him all those centuries, all those millennia, all those millions and billions of years ago when the Earth was first formed in God's image. _

_Once, Adam had been a servant of God. But he had been tempted away from the light by Satan, and so he was ejected from the Garden of Eden with his imperfect human wife, Eve, with whom Adam was not satisfied. Lilith was his first wife, she was perfect, as Adam believed himself to be. But she proved too defiant of God, and tried to destroy him, and so, was banished to Hell. She was the first to be in league with Lucifer, the fallen angel, and together, they had staged a war against God, and together, they were again banished after only six days. Then, God created man, and so, Adam was born in God's image. Lilith, not wanting to miss the chance to gain more followers, convinced Adam that as the first of his kind, he was perfect. And Adam fell in love with her as he was with himself. But God saw what she was doing, and smote her back to Hell. Adam was angry with God, so God said that he would give him a new wife, Eve. However, he was unhappy with Eve, who was deeply reverent of God, and not at all resentful as Adam was, and so, Lilith came again and helped Adam trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. God knew what had happened, though, and banished both of them from the Garden, forcing them to live out their days as humans would, toiling in the sun and the mud. This angered Adam deeply, so he made a deal with Satan that if he returned Lilith to him, that his soul would belong to Satan for eternity, as would the soul of his great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson. And so, the deal was made, and in exchange for knowledge of forbidden magicks, and powers that God decreed no human should possess, Adam offered two souls to Satan. And so, Adam gave birth to Seth, who knew nothing of his dark pact, and so, lived in accordance to his father's wishes and married, and also sired a son._

_ Down the line, came Noah, Adam's great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson. Because of the pact Adam made with the Devil, Noah was born with superhuman powers. Noah was not spiteful and angry towards the Lord God, though, and as such, God did not spurn him as he spurned Adam, rather, he realized that humanity had become corrupted because of Adam's influence, and so, tried to end it. He told Noah that he was going to flood the Earth, and that he must make an Ark of surpassing quality, for which the Lord gave him exact instructions both divine and mundane, and load two of every animal and his own family, all of whom were devout like Noah. And so, knowing nothing of Adam's foul bargain with Lucifer, and how it played into the Devil's hands, Noah obeyed God, and built the Ark, a masterpiece of futuristic technology as yet completely unknown to man. And so, he gathered two of every animal and his family and set off into the Ark, after which God made a storm that lasted for forty days and forty nights, meant to destroy Adam and his wicked progeny once and for all. _

_However, Adam survived, and God was forced to send down the Innocence, a weapon of His own design and created from His own blood, and part of His own Heart. But He had underestimated Adam's power, and once the Innocence had sought out Adam, and they did battle, the war waged for weeks, lasting almost the entire time that the storm did, and by the end, even though Adam was weakened, he used one final attack that shattered the Innocence into 109 separate pieces, making it useless on its own and easy for Adam to destroy. However, God had planned for this eventuality, and scattered the 109 pieces of Innocence across the globe, so that they could lay in wait until the day when those who would call themselves Exorcists, and could wield God's own blood would come and fight back against Adam once more._

_Although God believed that he had won Noah over, he miscalculated. Noah lived to the ripe old age of 950 years, after which he died, and his soul, as promised so long ago, was gifted to Satan, who, instead of devouring it, split it into dozens of pieces, each piece representing an aspect of Noah, and he spread it to the winds of the earth, burying them deep within the soul of every human, that some may awaken to darkness in the future. God, though, seeing what Satan had done, devised a plan and corrupted one single aspect, turning it into the Destruction of Noah. It was an aspect that would awaken a being as powerful as Adam now was, and would be able to take Adam down. Before Noah's death, Noah sired twelve children, who went out and each sired twelve more. One from each of Noah's grandchildren, though, were awoken to the pact that Adam made with Satan, and received unholy powers that compelled them to join Adam in his quest to eventually destroy God. And so, over the millions of years, twelve from each generation would awaken to the superhuman genes of Noah, and the dark pact made with Satan, and join Adam in his wicked war against God._

_Allen had caused the Order, those dedicated to continuing God's work against Adam, or the Earl as he was now called, to lose, and now, the war was over, and the Earl ruled all. Allen was only able to watch as his friends were murdered one by one, and as everything he knew and loved was taken away from him. He could feel a burning hatred boiling in the pit of his stomach, hatred for the Earl, hatred for the Noah, hatred for God. They had all conspired against him, and they would all pay! They had taken his Lenalee from him, and now, he had to hear her suffering in his dreams for eternity! But, before he could finish that thought, that grotesque visage that was the Earl's appeared before Allen. But it wasn't the Earl's face that was there, wearing that disgusting mockery of a gentleman's attire, complete with a cane and top hat. It was Allen's own face._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Allen screamed, bolting up in bed, his eyes shooting open, and realizing that it was dark all around him, and cramped. Struggling against the sheets that he had gotten tangled in, and crying out profanities as he attempted fruitlessly to escape from his cloth bindings, he finally fell with a loud thud to the floor, cursing loudly in pain and shock. This managed to calm him down a bit, though, and he managed to stop flailing around long enough to catch his breath.

His entire body was covered with an ice cold sweat. His heart was beating faster than it ever had before, and it felt like it would explode if he didn't slow it down somehow. His chest hurt, and there was a large lump in his throat that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't swallow. What had he been dreaming about that had upset him so much? Whatever it was, it had been so traumatic that he couldn't even remember it. Maybe that was for the best, though. Before he could give a sigh of relief, though, his door flew open, and Lenalee came rushing in, still wearing her night clothes, panting heavily having run as soon as she heard him yelling.

Immediately upon seeing Lenalee's face, images of blood, and gore, and memories of hatred and evil flashed through his mind. Allen gasped, and clutched at his chest with his Innocence arm, now beginning to hyperventilate. Lenalee rushed over to him, putting her arms around him and pulling him down slightly, trying to make him relax.

"Allen-kun…" She said calmly, but with an air of worry that would normally have disturbed Allen had he been in any condition to notice. "Calm down…" She whispered in his ear, stroking his white hair, which was matted down to his head with sweat. Allen didn't feel her holding him. He was still in a daze, but he felt calmer now that she was here. Finally, he shook his head, clearing his mind, and spoke.

"L-Lenalee! W-when did you get here!"

Lenalee looked at him curiously, staring deeply into his eyes.

"I've been here for almost ten minutes, Allen-kun. You don't remember me coming in?" She asked, putting a hand up to Allen's forehead. Allen pulled away sharply, though, standing up.

"I-I'm fine!" He said a little bit too enthusiastically, trying to smile, but only managing to grimace, trembling violently as he tried to stand. As soon as he did, though, he felt a sudden wave of nausea and was forced to his knees again. Lenalee caught him just before he hit the ground, and eased him down. Allen sighed in relief as he felt Lenalee's warm hand on his freezing cold shoulder and his back.

"Allen-kun, you aren't feeling well. You look awful. Are you sick? Did you have a nightmare?"

"W-what?" Allen said innocently, trying to hide his fear. "I-it was just a bad dream is all. I'm fine." After he finished, though, Lenalee could swear she heard him muttering "just a dream, just a dream, just a dream…" As if trying to convince himself, more than to convince her.

"A bad dream!" Lenalee cried, looking Allen hard in the eye, making him feel guilty for lying to her. She seemed to have that ability to make him feel guilty about that kind of thing, like he wanted to pour all his fears onto her. He couldn't do that, though. It wasn't her job to worry about his every insignificant fear… of which there sadly were many.

"You had a bad dream! I heard you screaming from five rooms down! You probably woke up half the Order!" She yelled, flinging her arms everywhere, causing Allen to cower, covering his head with his arms, trying desperately and childishly to hide from her. After a moment, she noticed, this and stopped, now feeling bad about losing her temper with him. He just had that infuriating tendency to lie about his own problems so that people wouldn't worry about him. As noble as that was, though, it didn't make Lenalee feel any better.

"I-I'm sorry. I just… wish you would trust me, Allen-kun… Stop hiding. Come over here. I promise I won't yell at you anymore…" She said gently. And Allen believed her. He sat up and moved over toward Lenalee, who hugged Allen tightly. Allen held onto Lenalee just as tightly, almost as if he would lose her to that black, deadly abyss if he let go.

"Lenalee…" Allen said nervously, looking up at her with a stare that she had never seen on him before. "Please promise me you won't leave me!" Allen said firmly, holding Lenalee tight and staring deeply into her eyes, causing Lenalee to blush deeply.

"W-what! Y-you know I would never…"

"NO! I need to hear you say it!" Allen said urgently, so that even Lenalee, who was usually rather hard to shock, was a bit unsettled by Allen's intensity.

"A-alright. I-I promise I won't leave you, Allen… B-but what's going on? You're acting really strange."

"I-I just… Had a bad dream. Th-the Earl had won the war, and everyone we loved was dead. A-and I saw you m-m-murdered right before my eyes. I-I tried to jump to save you, but you were pulled in, a-and devoured by Akuma. I-I could hear you sc-screaming… S-screaming for help, b-b-but th-there was nothing I could do! And I remembered the story of Adam in th-the True Bible that Master gave you, and then… I-I saw the Earl, except his face wasn't his… I-it was… It was… M-me…" And he was laughing… A-and I was screaming."

"Wow. That is scary. Allen-kun… I-I can't promise that I'll survive this war…" Lenalee said, looking at Allen gently, watching as his gray eyes filled with tears at this thought. "But I can promise that no matter what happens, I'll always love you… So even if I do die, I will always be with you." Lenalee said, holding Allen close to her. She also was afraid of losing him. Maybe her fears weren't quite as severe as his. She knew that she could never understand what it felt like to be able to see the souls of the Akuma. She had seen them once or twice because of Allen's ability to allow others to see the Akuma as well, but never had she been forced to truly see them everywhere. She couldn't say for sure whether she would still even be sane if she had to deal with that every day. Allen must have possessed a very strong mind to be able to stand up against that kind of insidious curse, the kind that ate away at your psyche little by little, eroding your sanity just as single drops of water eroded stone away over decades. She shuddered at the thought.

"Allen-kun…" Lenalee said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder, and her other hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "What happened when you saw that Level 5 Akuma's soul. You didn't say anything, but it must have been horrible for you to react so badly to it."

"It would not have done you any good to know what I saw at the time, so I hid it from you. Why should we both have to witness such agony, after all?"

"Because, Allen-kun… Because I love you, and I want to understand how you feel! I want to be able to see what you see! How can I ever help you if you won't even open up to me!"

"You think you want to be able to see the souls of the Akuma. It's not as good as it seems, though. As useful as I am to the Order for it, every time I bear witness to such a lamentable creature, I feel my stomach clench, and my heart skip a beat. It is at once horrifying and tragic, pitiful and hateful. The souls of the Akuma feel pity for the loved ones who were too weak to resist the Earl's temptation, but they also feel a great hatred that cannot be abated. Hatred toward the Earl, who enslaved them. Hatred toward their loved one, who showed such weakness. Hatred toward the world for not being able to save them. And when they evolve, their souls are drained and degraded in order to facilitate the increase in power, and by the time they reach Level 5, they are irrevocably insane and beyond salvation. Remember that rancid ichor that leaked out of the level 5's body? That was its soul in liquid form. Its soul had become so degraded that it broke down completely and coursed through the monster's veins like blood, still being forced to sustain its iron shell, even after it could no longer sustain itself. When it saw us, it knew that it was too late for it to be saved, but still, it wanted to be released from the pain. It begged us for salvation, even as it tried to rip me limb from limb. The image that I saw was so horrifying that it couldn't be described in words. It couldn't be fixed if I threw up, or even if I fainted. And so, I didn't. I destroyed it, and now, the soul is gone as well. It will never know the peace, the comfort of Heaven. The Earl took that right from it… I hate the Earl for many things. That's why I hate him the most, though… And sometimes, I feel like I hate myself for not having been able to stop him yet, to save those poor unfortunate souls**, and I pray that nobody will ever see that weakness in me and hate me for it as well. I would deserve it if they did hate me, though…" Allen said, wiping tears away from his eyes and trying not to cry again.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee cried in shock, grabbing his shoulders and holding him at arms' length. "How could you possibly think that any of us could ever hate you! Do you have any idea how much we all care about you? Even my brother, who can sometimes be… a little bit eccentric, cares about you more than anything!"

"Lenalee… Remember in the battle against the Level 5, how I seemed to miraculously heal all of my wounds?"

"Yes. It was hard to miss. When you got back, the head nurse demanded to look at you, because you were covered in blood, but you ended up not having a scratch on you. I'm a little bit jealous, to be honest, that you could possess that kind of resilience." Lenalee said, giggling nervously.

"It wasn't a miracle, and it wasn't my own resilience. Remember how I said that after I killed Road, she…"

"Gave you her powers."

"Yes. Well, I had been rejecting them up until that point, apparently, but when I was struck so hard by that Level 5, Road came to me and told me that if I didn't accept those powers, that I would die. So, I did. I used her regeneration, so now I have to a lesser extent than she did, the ability to regenerate."

"D-does that mean that you're also immortal?" Lenalee asked nervously, not sure if she liked that idea. Allen shook his head.

"Of course not. Nobody is immortal. Even Road and the Earl aren't immortal, although they were undying in the sense that they didn't suffer from age, disease, and other such trivial human afflictions. I'm not even undying, though. Road said to think of it as extended life. Road's powers are strange to me, but I think I sort of understand."

"I see…" Lenalee said. Nothing surprised her about Allen, about the Noah, or about anything anymore. She had seen it all, and to hear that Allen was now going to live longer than any human was not so farfetched from her point of view. After all, the Earl was supposedly over 7,000 years old.

"Lenalee?"

"Yes, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked with a smile.

"I-I'm sorry I woke you. You should probably go back to bed now." Allen replied. Lenalee shook her head.

"I wasn't sleeping. I haven't been able to sleep lately. You've been looking really bad lately, and I've been really worried. I'm glad you decided to talk to me, though."

"I'm sorry I worried you, too. You really shouldn't lose sleep over me, though. I'm not worth it."

"Allen-kun! Don't say that! I've never considered anyone in the Order beneath my worry. Especially you…" Lenalee said, her voice dropping to a near whisper as she gently brought her hand up and stroked Allen's cheek. "Don't be shocked… Allen-kun…" Lenalee whispered, moving closer to Allen and gently taking hold of his chin and cheek and kissing him on the lips, holding it there for a moment, and then sliding her tongue along Allen's lips, inviting herself in. For a moment, Allen was stiff as a board. He had never done anything like this before. But after a moment, his shoulders relaxed, and he wrapped his arms around Lenalee and returned the kiss. Slowly, her hands made their way down Allen's side and then to his chest, roaming over it, leaving white hot trails of passion that left Allen gasping for more. Although Lenalee's hands were cool, probably the result of the poor heating system in the Order, it felt like every inch of flesh that she touched was on fire, as though her touch had ignited some flammable substance on him, and he wanted more.

After a moment, Allen began to touch Lenalee as well, bringing his hands to her shoulders and slipping the straps down off of her nightgown, which, in her haste to get to Allen's room that night, she had forgotten to put anything over. Fortunately, she had not run into anyone on her way there. Just as they were about to draw together once more, though, Komui came bursting in, causing the two to look up at Lenalee's older brother in shock. Komui stared blankly at them for a moment, and then an evil look appeared on his face, and he grabbed an impact drill out of thin air and advanced toward Allen.

"How dare you attack my sweet, innocent Lenalee! I'LL KILL YOU, ALLEN WALKER!" Komui yelled wildly, turning on the drill and advancing toward Allen, who jumped up and out of the way of his drill just in time. Allen watched in horror as the drill destroyed his bed, and Komui stood back up and laughed maniacally. Allen activated his Innocence and bound Komui, though, holding him fast before he could attack again.

"Komui-san! You don't understand. I had a bad dream, and Lenalee came in to see what was wrong. I didn't attack her! I swear! I-I would never do that!"

"But... But..."

"Nii-san! He's telling the truth. Now go back to bed!" Lenalee said harshly, kicking Komui out the door. She looked at Allen apologetically, and walked over to his bed, which had been completely annihilated. Allen groaned.

"Sorry, Allen-kun... I know my brother is a little bit over the top, sometimes, but he means well... most of the time."

"Yeah, but it's the rest of the time that I really worry." Allen sighed, smiling at Lenalee to show her that he wasn't overly upset.

"But, Allen-kun... Where will you sleep? My brother destroyed your bed." Lenalee said, brushing a strand of hair out of Allen's eyes. Allen smiled back at her.

"Don't worry about me. I've still got my blankets and my pillow. I can just make space on the floor."

"W-well, if you're sure..." Lenalee said uncomfortably. She didn't really like the idea of Allen having to sleep on the floor, especially after he had just woken up with such a horrible nightmare.

"I'm fine..." Allen said, although he was not so sure.

A/N:

* For those of you who are unfamiliar with some of Edgar Allen Poe's work, this first reference is from The Masque of the Red Death, in which the closing lines are _and darkness and decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all_.

** This reference is slightly more obvious, a reference to the song "poor unfortunate souls" from The Little Mermaid, sung by Ursula.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Allen sat miserably on the floor, propped up against the wall. He knew that he would not be able to fall back asleep that night. If he went to sleep again, then his dreams would wake him up again. Those dreams. They seemed so real, so lifelike. He could feel the ice cold daggers of trepidation, hatred and hopelessness that stabbed through his heart when he saw the post-apocalyptic world, when he saw Lenalee being dragged down by Akuma, when he saw his friends' mangled and bloody corpses and the gloating faces of the Noah as they lorded over their new world. Were these dreams merely dreams? Or were they visions of the days to come? Was what was foretold in Revelations bound to come so very soon? It made a frightening amount of sense. Was his world doomed to fall to dust around him? He couldn't let that happen. He had to get stronger. He couldn't waste time resting, or talking. His master had given him a mission. To learn sorcery and to master Cross's former anti-akuma weapons. Grave of Maria and Judgment, in addition to Crowned Clown. It would be difficult, but Allen knew that if he lost confidence in himself, that any chances that he may have had would all be for nothing.

Meanwhile, Lavi was nothing but doubt. In two days, he was to leave with Bookman. He had never really had a family before he came to the Order, and that was why it took him by surprise like it did. Allen, Lenalee, Komui, Miranda, Krory, and the scientists, the finders... All of them had been so welcoming to him. Could he really turn his back on them now that they were so close to the end of the war? He could feel the war nearing its climax, and he knew something of wars. Although the worst was yet to come, so too was the dawn that inevitably came after a prolonged period of night. Did he want to be there to celebrate the reemergence of the dawn with his friends? Did he want to continue to learn the secret history that nobody else would ever know? He couldn't decide anymore.

What was right and what was wrong seemed so convoluted now. It was like good and bad, right and wrong didn't even exist anymore. It was true that he loved Lenalee. He knew that she loved Allen, though. There was no way he could change that. Sometimes he debated with himself whether he should even try. On the one hand, what was the worst that could happen? On the other hand, if he did tell Lenalee, what would she think?

The bookman sat up and got out of bed, no longer pretending to be asleep. It was pointless, he knew. After all, there was no way he could sleep with so much on his mind. Walking over to his dresser, he pulled a shirt on and walked out of his room, resolving to wander the halls of the Order for a while, at least until he cleared his head a bit.

Walking out of the room, and turning right, he strolled along the hallways purposelessly, thinking vaguely about the next few days and how he was going to say goodbye to his friends. He didnt want to say goodbye, but his primary duty was as a bookman, and he couldn't abandon those duties simply because he had friends, now. A true Bookman was supposed to be able to resist the pull of friendship, the desire for companionship and camaraderie. All bookmen were supposed to need was more history to memorize and write down. It was a lonely existence, but someone had to do it, and they had stayed too long at the Black Order. Even Bookman had said that he had grown too attached to these people for his own good. At least Lavi didn't feel like a total failure, having been there for three years, and they had been the best three years of his life.

He had travelled the world, had a front seat view of more human tragedy than anyone should ever have to see, and now that he was finally happy, now that he finally had friends, he had to leave. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair! Why him! Why did he have to be the miserable one. Why couldn't Bookman have just left him to die that day in the snow thirteen years ago! At least he wouldn't have had to live such a miserable life. And for that matter, why did he have to ever come to the Order? Why did he have to grow so fond of everyone there? He had been perfectly satisfied with his life as a bookman until they joined the Black Order and became Exorcists. What had it been about these people that drew him in so much? Had it been the warm reception that he had gotten? The way that they treated him like a member of their family? The way they went out of their way to help him when he needed it? Was it the fact that they all seemed willing to risk their lives for him? All of it. Did Bookman feel the same way?

"Mr. Bookman?"

What was he supposed to do? Just forget that he had ever had these wonderful friends? Forget about Allen, and Lenalee, and Kanda, Miranda, Krory, Timothy, Komui, the scientists, Link...?

"Mr. Bookman?"

He couldn't just forget them. He couldn't. It was impossible. He cared too much about them. Even though he knew that Lenalee would never love him like he loved her, he wasn't prepared to leave. He couldn't leave.

"Mr. Bookman?"

"WHAT!" Lavi snapped finally, glaring down at the small scientist girl, who seemed only to have shrunk more after he yelled at her like that.

"L-Lou Fa! S-sorry. I just... I didn't..."

"It's alright, Mr. Bookman. I was just wondering why you were out of bed so very late at night."

"I could ask you the same question. And don't call me Mr. Bookman." He said suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her.

"W-well... I-I just was having trouble sleeping. I thought maybe a walk would clear my head."

"That's about how it is for me."

"Too much on your mind?" Lou Fa asked politely, but perhaps too cheerfully, because Lavi looked back at her sourly, and she shrank back again.

"You wouldn't understand. And even if you did, you couldn't help." Lavi muttered darkly, half to himself.

"Sorry..." Lou Fa said disspiritedly, hanging her head. "I didn't mean to upset you..."

Lavi looked back at her, feeling bad, now, that he had hurt her feelings. He couldn't believe he was being so stupid. Did he never learn? He blamed Lenalee for being sad about Allen when she thought he was dead, and now, he was blaming Lou Fa for his own bad mood.

"No. I'm sorry." Lavi said, turning around and putting a hand on Lou Fa's shoulder. He couldn't believe how very small she was. She reminded him a bit of Road, except not nearly so insane, evil, and sadistic... Maybe just as obsessed with Allen, but then, Allen just seemed to have that effect on girls.

"D-do you think Mr. Walker will ever like me, Lavi-san?" Lou Fa asked nervously, pressing her pointer fingers together.

The most honest answer would be "no". Allen had it bad for Lenalee, and that was probably never going to change. But he couldn't really tell her that, could he? Not without breaking her heart.

"I can't really answer that for you. You'd have to ask him." Lavi said. It wasn't a complete lie. He pretty much knew what Allen would say to her. But it wasn't his place to tell her what Allen was feeling. "Maybe you should talk to him tomorrow."

"WHAT! N-no! I couldn't possibly! I-I mean... H-he's so busy, and..."  
"Excuses, excuses. If you keep putting it off, you'll always find a reason not tell him, and you'll never know."

"But..."

Lavi put a hand on her shoulder again. "No buts. Obviously, I can't force you to do anything, but I can suggest that you at least try."

"Thank you, Lavi-san. Y-you're a really nice person." Lou Fa said, blushing slightly, though whether it was because she was thinking about Allen, or because he was being so nice to her, Lavi didn't know.

"Huh?" Lavi said suddenly, causing Lou Fa to look up, alarmed. Lavi had stopped dead in his tracks and was looking at a doorway that seemed to have light spilling out from under it.

"W-what's up, Lavi-san?" Lou Fa asked nervously. Lavi narrowed his eyes and fingered his Big Hammer Small Hammer, walking over to the doors of the training room, and throwing them open, and looking inside to see Allen doing a truly ridiculous workout.

"2.995, 2.996, 2.997, 2.998... 2...999... 3.000..."

Allen was doing one armed pushups on a rubber ball that was precariously balanced on a chair that was precariously balanced on one leg on another rubber ball, that rolled back and forth occasionally on the ground, making Lavi wonder how Allen could possibly balance for so very long on such a stack. Sweat was pouring down Allen's body and face, dripping onto the floor below, as evidenced by the small puddle around Allen's workout site. Lavi sighed. He had always known that Allen sometimes went overboard... but this was ridiculous. Lavi walked purposefully over to Allen, quickly followed by Lou Fa, who looked supremely worried about him.

"Hey, Beansprout!" Lavi called suddenly, causing Lou Fa to look over in alarm, and Allen to lose his balance and topple off the chair, hitting his head on the ground as he fell. He stood up immediately, though, and shook his head clear.

"I'm alright! Lavi!" He said, a little too quickly. "I'm glad you're here! I need you to spar with me!" Allen rambled, sounding as though he had recently hyped himself up on crack or some other similar drug.

"Mr. Walker is a beansprout?" Lou Fa asked herself quietly.

"Allen... I'm not going to spar with you. You look half dead! It's 3:00 in the morning. You should be in bed. You're bleeding, you have dark circles around your eyes, and you look like you've lost your mind!"

"I don't have time for this! I-I need to train more! The Earl is getting stronger all the time! I have to be strong enough to fight him!" Allen shouted intensely, causing Lou Fa to walk over to him and push his hand down from in front of him.

"Mr. Walker. You don't look well. Why don't I take you back to bed, and you can train more tomorrow." Lou Fa said kindly, taking Allen's hand and trying to pull him out of the training room.

"C-can't sleep..." Allen said, sounding more skittery and insane than ever.

"W-what do you mean? Why on earth not?"

"Um... Lou Fa... I think he means it literally." Lavi whispered. "He really can't sleep. He's probably having nightmares or something. If you've ever seen the souls of the Akuma, then you'd know how he's feeling."

"What was that?" Allen asked angrily through gritted teeth, glaring at Lavi. Lavi gulped under the oppressive force of Allen's aura. It was nothing like the comforting feeling that usually surrounded him. It was dark, and angry, and frightening.

"N-nothing!" Lavi lied. Allen narrowed his eyes further, grabbing Lavi by the collar and driving him up against the wall.

"So, you think it's funny, do you! You think it's fun to be able to see the souls of the Akuma! Have _you_ ever seen the soul of a level three Akuma, let alone that of a level 4 or 5! Have you got any idea how terrifying it is to see those maimed souls tearing themselves apart through no will of their own in order to continue to power those powerhouses they call Akuma! I bet you think that the Akuma are simply weapons that the Earl uses to wage war, right! WRONG! The Akuma are conduits of energy using the soul inside as a battery to power the Earl's own magic! For each Akuma he makes, he becomes a tiny bit more powerful! Every time an Akuma evolves, he becomes that much stronger, because it's not the Akuma that ultimately devours the soul! It's HIM! The Earl uses the souls to power his own magic, and the Noah, being extensions of the Earl, get their power from him! So the more Akuma there are the better off they all are! That's why Akuma evolve!"

"You're mad, Allen! Akuma are nothing more than automatons under the control of the Earl!" Lavi sneered, shoving Allen off of him, but Allen grabbed Lavi in one hand and threw him, slamming him down on the ground and dropping the True Bible heavily on his chest.

"Am I mad! Read this! You like history! Then you'll love this. It's what really happened back in Biblical times, and the true story of Noah and the Earl, and the Clan! It tells all about what the Akuma really do! My master gave it to Lenalee and me along with his Anti-Akuma weapons and his spellbook."

"Mr. Walker! Stop! You're going to hurt him!" Lou Fa yelled, and Allen finally felt her, trying desperately to drag him off of Lavi. After a moment, Allen let go of Lavi, and stormed off, grabbing his shirt and slamming the door of the training room. Lou Fa didn't follow him. She knew that although she had gone in to talk to him, there was no point in talking to him anymore. He was irrational, and would likely just get angry again. Lou Fa looked at Lavi, who shrugged and picked up the book that Allen had so forcefully given to him, and leafed through it quickly. Already, he could tell that it was like no book he had ever read. It seemed to tell the story of Adam in such a way that the Vatican would never want anyone, even the Bookmen, to know. Adam, in this telling of the story, was far from a victim of the Devil's trickery. Rather, he colluded with Lucifer in order to gain the power needed to get vengeance against God, who he had sworn one day to murder with his own hands. He even went as far as to offer the soul of his great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson as well in exchange. The Adam of the True Bible was a monster. There was no way around saying that. But, Lavi couldn't show this to the Vatican. He might be able to show it to Bookman, though.

He thought about it, and then looked around and saw that Lou Fa was still standing there, looking deeply depressed. He looked down at her sympathetically and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him.

"Lou Fa, you shouldn't worry too much about Allen. He'll be fine. You've seen the way he bounces back. He'll do it again this time. The nightmares will stop, and he'll be good as new again, smiling at us with that smile that only he can manage. I still don't get how that guy can manage to be so damn attractive without even trying, though. It's a little bit annoying." Lavi said half to himself, but out loud, although he had not meant it to be. "He's even got Noah lining up to get a piece of him." Lavi said, laughing bitterly at the thought of Road kissing him back on the Ark. Lou Fa blushed heavily upon hearing this, and she leaned in.

"Mr. Bookman… H-how do you know that this Road Kamelot girl likes Mr. Walker?" She asked, the trepidation at finding the answer building in the pit of her stomach.

"W-wha? Oh… Just a hunch." Lavi lied. "Nothing really to think too much about." Suddenly, a thought hit him. Maybe, as uncertain about her own life as Lou Fa was, the scientist could help him.

"Did you hear that Bookman is leaving in two days?" Lavi asked quietly, not looking at her. He didn't want her to see the disturbed look on his face.

"What? No! I didn't! Chief Komui hasn't said anything, anyhow. But then… What will happen to you? Are you going or… will they make you stay because you're an exorcist?"

"Ha! As if they _could_ make me stay. The Order has no power over the Bookmen. We are merely here to observe history as it truly happens, unhindered and unabridged by politicians and time. No. Chances are, I'll be going with him. I have to get out of here. It's becoming unbearable."

"Do you really hate us all that much, Mr. Bookman?" Lou Fa asked sadly, reverting to her habit of calling him "Mr." again. This time, Lavi didn't bother to correct her. Merely, he shook his head.

"No. You have it all wrong. I like it here too much. This place means too much to me to let it go so easily. As a Bookman, I was taught to feel no emotion, and to become attached to nobody. 'People are fleeting. As soon gone as a gust of wind and no more important than the falling of a single leaf. The only significance they bear is how they tie into the big picture, as the ages pass us by. Even we, the bookmen, are as nothing in the face of the fullness of time.'" Lavi quoted. It was something Bookman had said to him once. It had always depressed him to think of how insignificant he was. Humans gave other humans significance because people couldn't bear to be alone. But no one person mattered one bit to history. If one person destined to be an evil dictator died before his time, another one would rise and take his place.

"No, Lavi!" Lou Fa shouted, grabbing his hands, surprising him with the use of his first name.

"You aren't insignificant!" She continued, holding Lavi's hands and staring intensely at him. After a moment, she let go quickly, and turned away, blushing heavily. "S-sorry. I d-didn't mean… It's just… who cares what some dusty old history book has to say about you? In 100 years, nobody will remember any of us, unless we do something great in our life that gets us noticed by the general public. I know that, and you surely know that better than anyone. The power of the government to cover up particularly unpleasant chapters in history is astounding. And as such, none of us will be remembered after we die. But so what? So what if the only meaning that any of us has is that which is given to us by another? If we mean something to someone else, and if someone else means something to us, even if it's only one person, isn't that good enough? Isn't it enough that we care about you? That you have friends right here, right now who want what's best for you?" Lou Fa asked heatedly, leaning in and looking almost manic in her expressions and mannerisms at the moment. Lavi sighed and patted her on the head condescendingly.

"You don't understand. It's too late for me to change, now. I wouldn't know how. I spent my whole life living only to record the secret history of the world… And now that I have friends… I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it. Happy? What is happy, anyhow? Does it mean the same thing to everyone? And if not, then how can anyone else tell me what should make _me_ happy? So that's why I have to leave with Bookman."

"No! I won't let you! I'll drag you back here if I have to, but I won't let you leave!"

Lavi looked at her suspiciously for a moment. Why was she so fervently trying to convince him to stay? Was she trying to get information out of him for someone? Wait. What was he thinking? Was he really that paranoid? The answer, sadly, was yes.

"Why are you so keen on me staying? What am I to you that you would put yourself out like this for me?" Lavi asked bluntly. Lou Fa thought for a moment and then blushed.

"Y-you're Mr. Walker's close friend. I see the way he is with you. He trusts you. Maybe you don't see it, but Mr. Walker would be devastated if you just left without another word."

"So in other words…" Lavi said, feeling a clenching sensation in his stomach as though he had just received a serious physical blow. "I mean absolutely nothing to you personally. You just don't want to see your precious Beansprout hurt in any way? Is that it! Am I just an instrument for you to see that he remains happy, regardless of what it means for me!" Lavi asked, sounding more and more hostile by the minute. Lou Fa stepped away, shaking her head.

"N-no! That wasn't what I meant! I-I just don't know you very well yet. But I merely meant that if Mr. Walker thinks so highly of you, then you must be worth g-getting to know. I-I would feel bad if I lost that chance b-because you had already left…" Lou Fa ended, feeling rather lame standing there with her shoulders hunched, trying so desperately to explain herself. To her great relief, however, Lavi seemed slightly placated upon hearing this, because he smiled weakly at her and nodded.

"You know…" He said, sounding serious, now. "If you're to have any chance with Allen at all, you'd better tell him how you feel before things get too serious with Lenalee. Otherwise, it'll be all but hopeless."

"What! B-b-but just two days ago you said they weren't dating yet!"

"Things changed, I guess. Like I said, you may want to get a move on. Time stands still for no man, or woman."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Tyki sighed discontentedly at breakfast. He was eating at Cyril's house once more, and for the millionth time, he remembered how lonely and miserable he was without Road's antics to keep him awake during the day. Nothing seemed worth it, anymore. He had loved Road, and she was so smitten by Allen. Maybe it had been jealousy that had driven Tyki to attack the boy. But what else could he say? That he was in love with a girl who looked for all purposes to be no more than fourteen? That was strange, and not a little bit creepy. Granted, Cyril was ever so slightly obsessed with Road, but Cyril was strange to begin with.

And as if on cue, Cyril looked up from his elaborate breakfast, which had been served by an Akuma servant, unbeknownst to his fragile wife, and sighed.

"You know, Tyki, I understand that you are saddened by Road's death, but perhaps you should try finding a lovely young lady to marry. You are certainly one of the most eligible people that I know, and I'm sure that girl you danced with at the last soiree would be glad to take up that position."

"I'm not in the mood for your lecherous speeches, Cyril…" Tyki said boredly. Wisely laughed lightly and shook his head.

"I believe what my dear father meant was that you should not wallow in self pity, uncle. It is unbecoming when you could have any woman you desire."

"You read his mind again, didn't you, Wisely?" Tyki asked, still unimpressed by how invasive Wisely was on everyone else's minds.

"I needn't use my psychic powers all the time, uncle. In this case, I simply read the expressions on his face. He is concerned about you."

"Okay. Hey, I was thinking of visiting some old friends, today, Wisely. Would you care to join me?" Tyki asked, thinking about Eeze and his other human friends. Wisely smiled politely and nodded at this.

"I would be glad to meet any friends of my esteemed uncle." He said politely, but not altogether too sincerely, so that he sounded more as though he was mocking Tyki than agreeing with him. Tyki sweatdropped at this, but stood and went upstairs to dress for the occasion, in other words, as a human.

Tyki rarely ever went into his human form anymore, having given his mind completely over to his inner Noah, as the Earl had so happily declared after Allen had run him through with his Sword of Exorcism. That had been the most frightening moment of Tyki's life. He had felt the sword tear through his body, and then felt as though his very soul had been ripped out. But then, he felt a great and terrifying power inside of him, and then the whole world went black before he started viewing everything like a movie screen, and he was being forced to watch his own body fight Walker as if from the back seat. He saw himself defeating Walker soundly, but could do nothing to step back in. He was afraid that he was truly going to kill Allen without even being there to enjoy the kill.

"Yo! Eeze, Momo, Clark!" Tyki called loudly, as he walked toward his friends, hanging out at an inn. His three friends looked up brightly and waved at him and at Wisely, who glanced at them and then looked away. It was a strange feeling talking to these normal humans, especially seeing Tyki being so friendly and familiar with them.

"Guys, this is my nephew, Wisely. He's accompanying me today, because I wanted him to meet you."

"Hey, Wisely!"

"What's up, yo!" Momo and Clark asked. Eeze just nodded silently at him, and then returned to the meager meal that he was eating.

"So, we haven't seen ya in a long time, mate!" Clark said brightly, looking up at Tyki again and grinning. "We've missed you, and Eeze has been asking about you all the time."

"Sorry, sorry. That job with my employer lasted longer than I thought it would."

"So," Yoshi asked, looking critically at Wisely, seeing that he was of a slender and distinctly unmuscular build, "Is Wisely here to help us on our next job? He'd better be able to keep up!"

"No. Unfortunately, he's never had much of a knack for physical labor. He's a crack psychic, though."

"Psychic? You actually believe in that garbage, Tyki?" Momo asked loudly. For a moment, Tyki scowled, but then he regained his calm demeanor and laughed.

"You mean you don't?" he replied. Wisely smirked, though, and walked over, putting a hand up to his forehead in a great imitation of trying to read someone's mind, although he didn't have to do so.

"That woman you were ogling in the marketplace was quite beautiful. She's way out of your league, though. She would never go for a tramp like you, Clark. Eeze-kun… 8 years old and already orphaned. Very sad, but ironic that you should end up viewing these people as parent figures. Momo!" Wisely continued, looking hard at the long haired tramp, and then smirking again. "You seem to have a rather egregious drinking habit. Perhaps you should seek professional help.

The three of them stared at Wisely, all slack jawed at his mental attack on them, and then Momo and Clark started laughing uproariously.

"Wow!" Clark exclaimed. "That was amazing. I guess psychics and all that shit really does exist!" Eeze merely turned red behind his mask, and looked away from Wisely angrily. He hadn't wanted anyone to know how very close he felt to the rest of them. Tyki, it seemed, noticed this, because he walked over to Eeze and put a hand on his shoulder, kneeling down and smiling sympathetically.

"Ah, don't pay him any mind. Wisely-kun just wanted to prove that he could really read minds. It was nothing personal. He's told plenty of my embarrassing secrets, as well. He's not a bad guy, though, and besides, it's a great way for him to make money. Unlike me, Wisely-kun here has plenty of cash, and has the ear of lots of important people."

"Really?" Eeze asked, speaking for the first time that day. He was overall a quiet boy, but sometimes, he said a few words.

"Is he related to that Road girl as well? When are you going to bring her around again? She's really pretty…" Eeze said quietly, thinking back upon the first time that he met Road, and how she looked something akin to a dark angel. Tyki sighed sadly at Eeze's comment and looked away.

"Oh… Road fell ill recently, and died…" Tyki said, not wanting to meet Eeze's eyes for fear that the boy would see the tears in them.

"Oh…" Eeze said, bowing his head. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something unpleasant."

Normally, Wisely would have commented on what a fool Road had been for becoming so smitten with Allen Walker. But it didn't seem the right time.

"Don't worry about it…" Tyki said, forcing a smile, and laughing. "Let's see if we can't win some money at cards. Wisely-kun has always been amazing at playing all sorts of card games."

"Well, yeah!" Clark said sarcastically. "Because he cheats by reading people's minds!"

"So? I bet Wisely could make more money in an hour than any of you could make in a month." Tyki said mischievously. Wisely laughed lightly and pulled out a deck of cards, sitting down at the table, using his modest telekinetic abilities to shuffle the deck. His powers in telekinesis weren't nearly as developed as Cyril's, but they worked for small jobs.

Before they could start their game, though, Allen and Lenalee, who were on a mission from the Order to investigate some potential Innocence walked in, and saw the five of them standing and sitting there. Of course, Allen recognized all of them, whereas Lenalee only recognized Wisely and Tyki. The two of them were instantly on guard, but Tyki merely looked up and smiled.

"Well, well. If it ain't Cheating Boy A. Small world, huh?" he asked as Wisely simply glared at the two of them, and they glared back.

"I see ya' brought your little squeeze along with ya', boy!" Tyki finished, grinning lecherously at Lenalee, who looked offended and scowled back at him.

"W-what did you call me!" Lenalee snapped at him, drawing her arms around her as if to protect herself from his eyes. Tyki merely stood up and walked over to Lenalee, putting a hand on her abdomen, passing right through and poking her stomach, causing it to move around so that Lenalee retched in pain and discomfort.

"It's lovely to see ya' again. Maybe I really _will_ kill ya' this time, girly. Not right now, though. As y'all can see, I'm with my friends. Ya' wouldn't wanna draw them into a protracted battle between Noah and Exorcist, wouldja'?" Tyki asked, smirking, as he knew what Allen would say.

"You're despicable, Tyki, using your own friends as hostages. Why don't you be a man and fight your own battles, instead of hiding in crowded taverns!" Allen sneered, causing Tyki to scowl back at him.

"Look, _boy_! I'm already pissed atcha fer killin' Road! Don't push my buttons like this, _got it_! I didn't come here to fight. I came to have a peaceful day with my human friends. They know nothing of my true affiliations, and I'd be perfectly happy to keep it that way."

"I see. Perhaps we should part ways for now, then." Allen said, taking Lenalee's hand and starting toward the door.

Tyki put a hand on Allen's shoulder, though, and stopped him. Suddenly, something snapped inside of him, and he could hear an evil, yet somehow, incredibly seductive voice in his head, telling him that he needed to kill Tyki now, when he was weak. He tried to ignore this at first, but it got louder and louder, and then, time seemed to stop, all movement having ceased, and Allen knew that the choice was no longer his. As Allen felt Tyki touching him, he grabbed the man's arm and flipped him over, slamming him down on the floor, having expected him to use his "Choose" ability to simply phase through Allen's hand. However, now, Tyki lay on the floor, and Tyki's friends, save for Eeze, were laughing hysterically, having just seen a grown man having his ass kicked by a sixteen year old. If only they knew just what he really was, maybe they wouldn't be laughing so hard.

"_Don't_ touch me, Tyki…" Allen said dangerously, in a low growl that hardly seemed his own voice at all. Tyki groaned and stood up, shaking his head and sighing.

"I just wanted to invite you and yer' girl here ta dinner with us. I'm not on duty right now, so there's no need fer such hostility… I'm sure Road wouldn't have wanted us to fight like this."

At this, Allen turned around and glared fiercely at Tyki, grabbing him and shoving his head hard into the wall, where it struck with a resounding CRACK and Allen felt blood splatter his face. His eyes, normally gray, were glazed over, almost as if he wasn't even conscious, in a sleeplike trance in which he was being controlled by his subconscious to viciously beat Tyki, despite the fact that he wasn't fighting back.

"_Don't_ talk about Road! There's nothing to say about her! Shut it!" Allen whispered, his eyes having all the seeming of a psychotic killer, and his face, all the expression of a wax statue, slamming Tyki's head into the wall once more, ignoring Lenalee as she tried to drag Allen off the poor man known as Tyki, who wasn't resisting at all, or even trying to put up a mediocre defense against Allen's brutality.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee finally cried, putting an arm around Allen's neck and squeezing as tightly as she dared, not wanting to hurt him, but also scared half to death of what he was doing to Tyki.

Suddenly, Allen gave a start, and looked at Tyki, who was now on the floor, bleeding from a head wound and unconscious, and at his friends, who stared at him in horror, looking as though they wanted to run over to see if Tyki was alright, but seeming too scared to approach him. Next, he looked at Lenalee, who also seemed scared, but brave enough to stay next to him. She grabbed his hand, now, and pulled him out of the inn, and into the streets, where it was starting to drizzle lightly, causing their clothes and other things to get wet as soon as they went out.

Allen put a hand up to his forehead, where a raging headache was pounding against his temple, as though there were rocks in his head being shaken around and slammed against the inside of his skull. He looked at Lenalee, trying to see if he could find the answers in her eyes, because he didn't have any. He couldn't remember a thing about what happened. One moment, he had been walking out on Tyki with Lenalee, then… he heard someone talking to him from far away, a cold, clear, yet enticing voice that urged him towards the violence that he must then have committed.

As he looked into Lenalee's eyes, though, all he saw was concern, and fear, and just a tiny flicker of disgust. He hated that look. Hated what it meant to him, wanted to take that look off her face himself, rearrange that disgusted, yet pitying look in her eyes. Whatever that cost, he would do it, whether it be simple conversation, or gouging her eyes out with his bare hands. The second option was, frighteningly enough, seeming more and more delightful by the moment. After he did that, she would never pity him again, never! She would only feel fear, like she should… Like they all should!

_No! I-I love her! I could never hurt her! I-I'd sooner die than do something so horrible!_

_*But look at that disgusting look on her face! Don't you hate it? Don't you want her to realize how stupid she is for displaying it? You can "correct" her mistake. Just let me in…*_

_Never! I'll never hurt her!_

_*You're pathetic! Let me take over, NOW!*_

_NO!_

_*YES!*_

Suddenly, Allen felt his mind go blank again, and he began to advance towards Lenalee with that same psychotic look in his eye, and that same blank, dulled affect, his arms outstretched, ready to strangle her with his own two hands, the demon inside him laughing wildly as he moved. But then, at the last moment, Allen awoke again, and saw Lenalee staring at him, slightly scared, but also curious, worried, concerned, and instead of strangling her, he used his arms, which wouldn't fully obey him, to shove her as hard as he could. In the muddy streets, Lenalee lost her balance, staggered back and fell hard on the ground, releasing a gasp of surprise as Allen stared at her in shock.

Allen pointed at Lenalee, breathing heavily, trying to control himself, but finding the voice in his head harder to ignore by the minute.

"Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" He screamed, eyes wide with madness. Lenalee stood up and took a step toward Allen, but he ran at her and pushed her again, harder this time, and turned around and ran as fast as he could before Lenalee could even hit the ground. Again, Lenalee found herself on the ground, soaked, and covered with mud, but not caring the least bit about how she looked at the moment, more worried about Allen, who seemed to have gone from perfectly fine, to surprised, to angry, to enraged, to psychotic, all in a matter of fifteen minutes. Seeing him beating on Tyki like that had scared her, but even more frightening had been seeing the look in his eyes as he demanded that she stay away from him. What had he meant? Did he mean that he didn't love her anymore? Maybe he was angry at her for something. But he seemed so frightened, himself. It seemed hard to believe that he could possibly go from being such a gentle person to being such a raving lunatic. She couldn't worry about what he meant, though. She had to find him, and help him. He was liable to get himself killed in the state of mind he was in at the moment.

Lenalee jumped up and ran after Allen, activating her boots and jumping up to the roof so that she could see down into the streets. Before long, she picked up on Allen's trail, though not because it was easy. It was like something inside her was telling her where to go, like it knew Allen's location, no matter how far away he was, and so she followed her instincts, and finally, closed in on a filthy alleyway, in which there was garbage, and other refuse, along with dirt, blood, and things Lenalee didn't even want to think about. She half wondered if Allen was really there, positive that even in the most irrational state, Allen would never go someplace so filthy intentionally. She entered, though, and as she reached the end, she saw Allen, hunched over and rocking back and forth, facing the wall, muttering madly to himself.

"A-Allen-kun? Are you alright?" Lenalee asked, barely daring to raise her voice above a whisper. Allen turned around, though, and looked at her, his chest still heaving in and out.

"You should leave, Lenalee. Tell them at the Order that I tried to kill you." Allen muttered. "They'll send their best soldiers out, and they'll kill me and retrieve my Innocence. Tell them about Road's powers so they'll know what they're facing."

"No. I can't. I couldn't do something like that. Allen-kun, I can help you. But you have to tell me what's wrong."

"I-I'm not sure, exactly. I don't really remember what happened. Only that someone was telling me to kill Tyki." Allen said, shuddering upon remembering how icy cold and insane the voice sounded, despite the fact, or perhaps, because, it resonated through his mind so clearly, like the person to whom it belonged was sitting right next to him.

Lenalee put her hands on Allen's shoulders and stared at him for a moment. What could she say? He was talking about hearing voices in his head. Was he really going insane? Had the powers that Road had given him caused him this mental distress? Was it whatever vestiges of the Fourteenth that remained in his mind from before the sealing?"

"Allen-kun…" Lenalee said seriously, staring hard at Allen, not wavering from his eyes for a moment. "I don't know what's going on, but I swear, I'll do whatever I can to help you. It's pouring right now, and we're both soaked and cold. Let's find an inn to stay at, and we can call Nii-san from there. I'm sure that when we get back, the science department will be happy to work on helping you…" She finished, although she didn't look certain at all, and Allen could see the doubt in her eyes. It was unnerving. She was usually so strong and confident, but now, she looked scared. Was it him? Allen didn't want to think about it, so he merely stood up and followed Lenalee back to the main streets, and into a new inn.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Lenalee could hear Allen talking to the receptionist in the background, checking them in. He had been quite adamant about Lenalee calling Komui. She understood. It was unnerving, and not a little bit embarrassing to be talking about oneself when the subject was hearing voices that weren't there.

"Hi, Nii-san. We've arrived at our destination, and we're just about to get settled in." Lenalee said, not wanting to attack the problem right away.

"Good, good. I was worried when you didn't call two hours ago. Did the trip go smoothly?"

"Well, we ended up having to find a different inn than the one we originally planned on. We ran into some Noah in their human form at the first one."

"Noah! Are you alright! Are you hurt! Is Allen hurt!"

"No, no! Everyone is fine… physically, anyhow…" Lenalee said sadly, knowing that she couldn't delay much longer, now.

"Physically, but not emotionally? Did the Noah say something to you or Allen?"

"No. It wasn't the Noah. They were just there with some friends. It was mere coincidence that we ran into them."

"You know I'm not a fan of coincidences, Lenalee. What happened?"

"Well, the Noah tried to get us to stay and play cards with them, and suddenly, Allen just attacked him. He didn't use his weapon, or anything. But he did some real damage, and scared a lot of people."

"Did he say why he attacked him? I'm assuming it's a man? No matter how angry Allen is, he would never attack a woman unprovoked."

"I-it wasn't _anger_ so much as… _madness_. Nii-san, he said something about a voice in his head ordering him to kill Tyki. It was like Allen-kun didn't even exist, like someone else had taken over his mind…"

"Maybe it was the Fourteenth again? It's possible that the sealing didn't work."

"I don't think so. His eyes weren't golden, and his skin wasn't gray. D-do you promise to keep this a secret? I really need you to do this for me!"

For a moment, Komui said nothing, but then, he responded. "I promise."

"When Allen-kun slept with Road, she transferred her regeneration to him, and now, he has that power. I-I'm afraid that he accidentally took some of her Noah's spirit as well. If Road betrayed the Noah, then the spirit of her inner Noah would also want to kill the other Noah. I'm afraid that it's beginning to control Allen."

"That is serious. For now, try to find the Innocence. When you come back, tell Allen to report to me immediately. I'll see what I can do. We may have to bring the Vatican into this. We may not have a choice."

"No! You know what they did last time! They branded Allen-kun a traitor, treated him like a criminal! I won't have that happen to him again!"

"I know, Lenalee. If it were up to me, I would keep Rouvellier out of this, but he's higher up in the Church than either of us, and the situation may be too far over our heads. I know I promised you, and I'll do everything I can to keep my promise, but it may not be possible."

"I-I understand…" Lenalee said forlornly, glancing around at Allen, who looked back and smiled at her, then turned back around to continue talking to the desk clerk, who, Lenalee was slightly annoyed to see, was quite interested in Allen.

"I have to go now, Lenalee. Please return safe… I think I'd go insane if I didn't have you to give me a reason to stay." Komui said quietly. Outside, Reever, Lou Fa, Rikei, and Shifu were waiting with a shitload of paperwork that needed doing, as if Komui needed any more work to do, but they could hear the conversation, and they were as disturbed by it as Komui and Lenalee both were.

"Oh, Nii-san…" Lenalee sighed sadly. "Don't be so dramatic… I couldn't possibly be that important." Lenalee said, trying to laugh it off, but not feeling even remotely amused. She knew, sadly, that he was being completely serious. It had been her fault that he had to be brought there, and her fault that he was now a prisoner in the Order, and it was her fault that he couldn't move on with his life. Because she had been so weak, he came to help her, and wasn't allowed to leave… Lenalee didn't like to think that he depended on her that much. She didn't want that kind of responsibility, knowing that the war could kill her at any time. But as long as she had it, she wouldn't die until she could properly apologize to Komui. The problem was that every time she tried to go in to talk to him, she started crying, and couldn't calm down enough to say anything, and then, instead of her apologizing, Komui wasted time trying to calm her down, after which he invariably put the problem down to stress, and said that she should get some rest.

"Goodbye, Lenalee. Tell Allen that Lou Fa is eagerly awaiting his return…" He said, laughing weakly, causing Lou Fa outside to squeak with embarrassment. Lenalee laughed feebly at this joke and then hung up, walking over to Allen, and the girl who was flirting so shamelessly with him.

"I get off of work at 11:00, Allen-kun. We could talk some more, then…" the girl called as he walked away to the room with Lenalee. Allen smiled apologetically at Lenalee and then turned his head.

"Sorry, I'm pretty sure that my employer would be quite unhappy if he found out that I was going on dates when I was supposed to be working. Perhaps if circumstances were different…" Allen finished, leaving the girl looking disappointed, and staring contemptuously at Lenalee, who refused to look back at her.

"Sorry, Lenalee…" Allen said, but it seemed that Lenalee couldn't even hear him talking.

"Lenalee… Lenalee!" Allen said slightly louder. "We're at our room!"

After a moment's hesitation, Lenalee shook her head and looked at Allen, who looked back at her curiously, wondering what it was that was bothering her.

"Lenalee… Are you alright? You look bothered by something. Was it something Komui-san said?"

"N-no, of course not. H-he's concerned about you as well, and thinks we should talk to the Science Department…"

"O-oh… Right…" Allen said, opening the door and holding it for Lenalee. She smiled at him and walked past into the room. It was a nice, clean room, although Spartan in its furnishings, with two simple wooden beds a single bureau, a single chair with a table next to it, and a gaslight lamp in the corner for the entire room, leaving the rest of the lighting to the window. Not that it mattered, of course, to people like Allen and Lenalee, who were only there to gather the Innocence and then leave. On that front, though, rumor had it that there was a part of town that nobody dared enter anymore, because the voices of the dead emanated from it. Allen and Lenalee were there for that reason, the Order being under the impression that it may have had something to do with Innocence in the area.

Allen watched as Lenalee sat down in the chair in the corner, pulling her jacket closer around her to keep warm in the cool room, and taking out a book. Allen, for his part, was tired, cold, and wet.

"Hey, Lenalee? Don't you think maybe you should take a shower to warm yourself up a bit?" Allen asked, seeing that Lenalee was just as soaked through as he was, and, if anything, was shivering just as violently.

"N-n-no…:" Lenalee said, cursing herself for shivering so much. "I j-just need to sit down f-for a while."

She had not noticed until Allen had brought it up how very cold she was. Even though it was spring, the temperature was only in the high thirties, as they were all the way up in Sweden at the moment. This was actually considered a warm day for the area, and Allen was annoyed at himself that he hadn't thought to pack warmer clothes for them. At this rate, they would both catch cold, and be completely useless.

"Lenalee, please at least dry yourself off, and change out of those clothes. I don't want you t-to catch cold…" Allen said, looking at Lenalee, who was still pretending to read.

"B-b-but what about you? You look just as bad…" Lenalee replied. Allen thought for a moment.

"Well, how about you go first, and then when you come out, I'll change, and we can go to bed?"

"What? Me? Why not you? You're the one who's not feeling well!" Lenalee protested loudly.

"What? I feel fine. B-better… than ever…" Allen said, although Lenalee wasn't convinced. "Disembodied voices aren't enough to get me down." Allen finished, trying to laugh it off, but doing a poor job of it. Lenalee looked at him sternly, and finally, Allen relented, and grabbed some night clothes and trudged into the bathroom, shutting the door, and locking it, more out of habit than mistrust. He then began to strip out of his wet clothes. His Exorcist coat would dry the fastest, as it was made to dry quickly, made of a special kind of fabric that was at once warm, easily dried, and strong and dense. The rain that night must have been heavier than he thought, Allen reminisced, if it was able to permeate the exorcist coats that the Science Department was so proud of being able to make. Quickly, he hung everything up on the shower curtain rack, facing in so that it dripped into the bathtub, and then threw on his night clothes, towel dried his hair once, and then rushed out, telling Lenalee that she could go in if she wanted to.

After Lenalee finished changing, they both turned out the lights and got into bed, falling to sleep quicker than usual because they were both rather tired, not only from the jetlag, but also from being out in the rain, and the stressful evening that they had had. Allen was first to go to sleep, as Lenalee wanted to make sure he was alright before she fell asleep, and then, shortly after Lenalee started to hear him breathing more deeply and steadily, she also fell asleep.

A few hours later, though, Lenalee was woken by a yelp from across the room. She jerked awake in her bed and saw that Allen was tossing in his sleep, muttering incoherently, but sounding quite disturbed. Lenalee sighed, and got out of bed. It was freezing that night, and even with the modest amount of heat that was coming into the room through the pipes, it was not warm by any means. The female exorcist walked over to Allen and sat down next to him, putting an arm around him and a hand on his forehead, brushing stray strands of hair out of his face, stroking his hair for him.

"Oh, Allen-kun…" She whispered, half to herself. "I wish I could help you. But I don't know what to do. I want to be able to make you better, but I can't figure out how. This is one of those times I really wish you were more willing to help yourself, Allen-kun… You're so wonderful and selfless, but in helping others, you forget to take care of yourself."

After a moment, Lenalee felt herself getting very tired again, so she lay down next to Allen, putting her arms around him and pulling the covers over herself. She giggled momentarily. Komui would have a fit if he ever saw this, and Allen would most certainly be a dead man. If he got so jealous and irrational when Lenalee went out with a friend to buy a birthday present for him, think how he would get if he saw her in bed with a man. Finally she fell asleep, seeing that Allen was at least feeling better, even if she wasn't.

Allen awoke the next morning feeling at least slightly refreshed. He had the strangest dream the night before. He had a dream that he was being tortured by the Earl, but then Lenalee saved him, and told him that 'she wished she could help him, but that she didn't know what to do.' Then, he felt a warm pair of arms wrapped around him, almost as if an angel were there to bear him away. Shrugging, and stretching, Allen started to get out of bed, but then felt a pair of arms around him. He turned his head over and saw Lenalee lying there next to him, her hair falling in silky curtains on the pillow, surrounding her head like a shiny black halo, making her look like the angel that might have been in his dream.

Allen gently took Lenalee's arm, not wanting to wake her up, and tried to get out of bed before she noticed he was gone… He had to get out of the room quickly, before he fainted from shock. Seeing her lying there next to him had nearly given him a heart attack, and now, he couldn't for the life of him remember what he had done the night before. They were both fully clothed, so he didn't think they had slept together, but he couldn't rule it out, and at the moment, he was too hard for his own damn good. He needed to run his head under some cold water before he did anything stupid.

Before he could fully get out of bed, though, Lenalee stirred, her voice barely above a groggy whisper. "A-Allen-kun?" She asked, smiling sleepily at him. Allen groaned and jumped up and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door and jamming on the sink as cold as it would go, and stuck his head under, shivering as the ice cold water poured over his head and soaked his hair. He sighed in relief, though, as he felt himself calming down a bit. The white haired exorcist shuddered as he reached up and shut off the faucet, squeezing out his hair and drying it with a towel before walking back out to see Lenalee sitting on the side of the bed as if she were waiting for him. When she saw him, she stood up and looked over at him.

"Are you alright, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked, cocking her head to the left. Allen shook his head, spraying water everywhere.

"How would you feel if you woke up with me sleeping next to you! What were you doing in my bed! I distinctly remember us getting into _separate_ beds last night!" Allen said, waving his arms frantically. Lenalee looked at him, seemingly hurt.

"S-sorry… Y-you were having a nightmare, and I was just trying to help."

"O-oh… I-I was having a nightmare, wasn't I?" Allen said, remembering the Earl continuing to burn him with white hot Dark Matter balls, grabbing his Innocence and destroying it slowly, ripping it apart molecule by molecule, delighting in the agony that he was causing, and all around him, the Noah Family was laughing at his pain and misery, and the rest of the Black Order stood back, powerless to do anything, all of their Innocence already having been destroyed. He saw Lou Fa sobbing in a corner, looking on as the Earl continued his torment of him, and Kanda shaking his head and saying, "If you can't even survive this, what made you think you could save the world, Beansprout?"

But then, he saw his salvation. Lenalee was there, and she smote the Earl and the Noah Family, and saved everyone, including Allen, and… He didn't want to think about it anymore… Lenalee looked curiously at Allen, who was now beet red, and shaking his head to clear his mind of these idealized images of Lenalee.

"Are you alright, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked, putting a hand to Allen's forehead. Allen nodded vigorously, though not quite believably.

"My nightmare was just a little bit embarrassing… That's all." Allen said, at least being partially honest. Lenalee looked at him skeptically, but didn't push the subject. What mattered that day was finding the Innocence, and getting back to base so that they could help Allen.

Allen and Lenalee went out the front door that day, and past the same receptionist that was there the night before. She smiled dreamily and waved at Allen, who smiled at her as well, causing Lenalee to scowl as they walked out and into the cold morning, where mist clung heavily to the cobblestone streets, obscuring all but the nearest of objects, with the buildings on either side, and the tall metal poles that held the lanterns atop them for when twilight fell, being nothing but hazy images, as if mere illusions. The dawn in Sweden was quite beautiful, the sky above them crystal clear in the frosty cold morning, in contrast to the near zero visibility around them. As they walked down the streets, Allen could feel himself getting lost, although Lenalee seemed to know where she was going, at least, because she was in the lead, with Allen trailing fairly well behind her, but not so much that he lost her in the thick fog that seemed to be rolling in like waves of white froth straight from an ocean breeze.

"Hey, Lenalee? Are you sure that you know where you're going?" Allen asked nervously, not recognizing any of the buildings when he looked at them. The fog only seemed to be thickening as they approached wherever it was that they were going.

"Of course. Nii-san gave me this device from the Science Department. It has the singular ability to track Innocence, although they said that high levels of Dark Matter can interfere, so powerful Akuma and Noah could theoretically be a problem."

"Wow. The Science Department made something like that? You'd think they'd have tried that sooner. It would sure beat having to search high and low for Innocence that we don't even know is there. How far away can it sniff out Innocence from?"

"Approximately 2 miles in any direction, although you can adjust the setting to be more or less specific as to the area where the Innocence is, depending on how close you are in proximity to it."

"I guess I sort of can see that working. Anyway, we should be careful, now, I don't think this fog is natural. Maybe the Innocence is protecting itself, like it did at the Tree of Resurrection. You weren't on that mission, but it was nearly impossible to reach. Somehow, this defense seems a bit weak, though."

Suddenly, though, Allen's eye started spinning back and forth like mad, and it zoomed in on several Akuma that were waiting for them. There were the Level 4s that Allen usually associated with high level missions from the Noah, and then, there was also, a single Level 5. Although he had prepared himself for the sight this time, it did little to ease the sense of nausea that washed over him, and he could feel himself becoming lightheaded, and his stomach retching. Although he tried to hide it, Lenalee seemed to notice, and she went over to him.

"Allen-kun… You already aren't feeling well. Please don't push yourself… I-if you want, I can fight them myself, and you can go retrieve the Innocence without me. I…" Allen didn't let her finish, though. Shaking his head, he drew his Sword of Exorcism and swept the air in front of him, watching as two of the level 4s were almost immediately destroyed.

As the level 4 Akuma were destroyed, one by one, though, Allen's sense of foreboding only increased, and his eye began to spin so rapidly that it was making him dizzy. The fog around them wasn't really fog. It was the Level 5 Akuma's soul leaking out of it. It was even more "developed" than the last one that they fought, and presumably more powerful. The soul was leaking out of this one little by little, though, and creating the fog that surrounded them. That was why his eye was spinning out, because the soul of the Akuma was all around him, in thick billowing clouds of the vilest Dark Matter, and Soul mixed.

"Lenalee… Go! Now! Go and find the Innocence and then leave!" Allen ordered her. Lenalee wasn't used to Allen giving her orders. He wasn't that kind of person, so hearing him speaking so forcefully was shocking to her.

"I-I couldn't! I won't! You won't leave, and neither will I!"

"Lenalee! You know I trust you more than anyone in the world! It's not about that right now. No matter how fast or powerful you are, you can't beat this monster! Remember the last Level 5 we faced? Well this is halfway to Level 6, most likely, if such a hideous and monstrous state even exists. This fog isn't fog, it's the Akuma's soul. I can see the particles of the soul and the Dark Matter floating around us. The Earl did this on purpose to confuse our machines. You need to get out of this fog and headed in the right direction. I promise I'll be alright. I have my regeneration, remember?"

"A-alright, Allen-kun. You'd better come back to the inn tonight, though. If you don't make it, I swear, I'll kill you!"

"Hehe…" Allen grinned sheepishly, and laughed. "I'm not sure whether I should be more afraid of you or this Akuma…" Allen said, earning him a teasingly reproachful look from Lenalee, who then shut off the sensor to preserve it, and left, leaving Allen to face off against this monster of unimaginable power, pain, and suffering, the three things the Earl loved most.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Where the hell is that Innocence! The sensor said it was around here somewhere around here, but I don't… Oh, where is that damn thing!" Lenalee cried in frustration, searching around in all her pockets, not really remembering where she had placed it. Finally, she found it, and pulled it out, switching it on, and tuning it in to near mode, at which point, it began to beep feverishly, and the compass on it to point directly in front of her. She ran after the arrow, and after a few bumps and bruises from hitting her head on low ceilings, she made it into a huge chamber in the back of the cave with antediluvian markings all over the walls, and a pedestal from which mist was pouring copiously, and a diluted source of bright white light was shining that seemed to light up all of the fog directly on the pedestal that was in turn on a small flight of stairs, causing the fog to move down in a cascading motion. Before she could get to the pedestal, though, she was confronted by another sight, that of a human standing before her.

"Hello, Lenalee Lee." The woman said quietly, her sunglasses obscuring her blue eyes and her long honey blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. "We meet again." She said calmly, pulling on a pair of feminine white gloves so that her hands were no longer exposed to the cold, and damp, which was biting, even so very deep in this cave.

"Yes, but I don't have time to exchange pleasantries right now. I have to return to Allen-kun to make sure he's alright."

"You needn't worry about your partner. He will be dealt with in short order. Some of my comrades are seeking him out as we speak, assuming that the Akuma that he is fighting is not enough to destroy him. You should worry instead about yourself." Lulubell said, snapping her fingers, and stepping back as two level 4s rose out of the mist, leering wickedly at Lenalee, and moving forward, their movement obscured by the thick fog. Lenalee was faster, though, and she activated her Dark Boots, and jumped into the air, landing behind the first level 4, and kicking it in the back, sending it flying hard into the wall. The other level four turned around and sneered at Lenalee, swiping at her with its claws, giving Lenalee a minor laceration on her arm as she reached up to defend herself. She gasped in pain, but continued fighting, jumping and doing a dropkick at the second level four, which jumped out of the way just in time, and shouted, causing shockwaves of sound to reverberate all around the walls, echoing and turning into a massive, cacophonous din that grated severely on Lenalee's ears. She gritted her teeth against this ruckus, though, and continued to fight. By then, though, the two Akuma had already disappeared back into the mist, and she couldn't find them. She looked around suspiciously, seeing that Lulubell had also pulled a Houdini on her, and was nowhere to be seen. Soon, though, one of the tiny, mockingly cherubic monsters flew out of the mist and grabbed Lenalee tightly, holding her fast while the other one jumped up and kicked her in the stomach, driving the wind out of her lungs before they dropped her, leaving her to fall to the floor, several ribs now cracked.

Last time she had tried to fight a level 4, she had Allen with her. Now, though, she was all alone, fighting two of these obscenely powerful monsters. She turned around and grabbed one, throwing it into the air as best she could, but it used its wings to reverse its momentum and instead hover above her, grinning evilly, and flying down, grabbing her and driving her back into the cave wall, where she collapsed, gasping once more before her vision began to go blurry, and she felt her consciousness slipping away.

She could see the two Akuma advancing on her, but could also hear footsteps in the distance. Lulubell's? Was she going to destroy her Innocence? Of course she was. What a stupid question. She could feel the end coming, and see the Akuma who were to bring it, but before they could deliver final death unto her, they were blasted back by a white explosion emanating from a tall black and red shape standing above her. The shape looked down at her and grinned cockily, before turning around and gathering black energy around its hand and rushing forward to fight the Akuma,. He drove his hand straight through the first Akuma, and then, turned around and kicked the second one sending it flying, flourished his hand and appeared behind the monster and caught it with the same black light that he got the first one with. He then turned to Lulubell, who had indeed been walking toward her, and started speaking to her. Lenalee couldn't hear him exactly. His voice sounded quiet and distant, but he spoke and then advanced toward her, and she seemed to think it wasn't worth fighting him, because next thing, she disappeared in a splash of water.

"Lenalee…" Came the voice. She knew that voice. She had heard it before. Where did she know it from, though? She couldn't concentrate, and her head was swimming. She tried to sit up, and breathe, but her chest hurt too much. Her arms were heavy, and her legs seemed not to want to work. She was frightened… Of dying, of this man who seemed to know her, and she also seemed to know, of the Earl, and the Noah, who seemed to dog their footsteps wherever they went. What if what the Noah said was true? What if Allen really did die? She couldn't let that happen. She had to help him… But she was so tired, and she wanted so badly to sleep. But she couldn't sleep right now. She had things to do, and this man who had destroyed two level 4s without even thinking was still approaching her.

"Are y… lright?" came his voice, broken though it was with static and the sound of her own racing heart.

"Th… ah… isn't here… you… fe…"

"Allen-kun…" Was all Lenalee could say. She muttered his name, as if by saying it, she could will him to be alright.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the man knelt down in front of her and helped her sit up. His touch was gentler than his fighting style would have indicated. He looked at her, and sighed.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly, brushing some loose strands of hair out of her face.

"Allen-kun… Please… save Allen-kun…" Lenalee begged him, praying with everything she had that he understood her.

"Allen will be alright. He took some pretty serious injuries, but he isn't going to die from them. You two are exactly the same. You were the first person he asked about as well. I had to tell him I didn't know how you were. When he tried to get out of the hospital to come help you, I had to use magic to paralyze him. He's a little uncomfortable right now, but he should be fine."

"Oh my God! Naaagghh!" Lenalee gasped, shooting forward, and then realizing that her ribs were still broken, and falling back, hitting her back against the wall, causing her to grimace.

"If you keep moving, you're only going to hurt yourself more." Cross said, lifting her head gently, and looking at the back, where he felt it and drew his hand away to see blood.

"Hm… Your injuries are actually lighter than I thought they'd be. I'll help you get to the hospital. Then, I have to go, though, lest the Order find out that I'm actually alive. Of course, it wouldn't matter, because I'm no longer the accommodator for either of my Innocence. However, like the Order's CROW unit, I'm sure they would find a perfectly horrific use for me, regardless."

"I see. So, there's no way you can stay for a while, General?"

"No. And don't call me General. Cross is fine, now. I've gone back to being a scientist, and my sorcery, and talent with high tech machinery has come in very handy." Cross said to Lenalee, stroking her cheek.

"You seem to get more beautiful every day. You look just like your mother." Cross said gently, looking into the distance sadly.

"You knew my mother! What was my father like! Did I have any other brothers and sisters! Was Nii-san always like he is now!" Lenalee asked, shooting off questions rapidfire, not even giving Cross time to answer them before asking more.

"Whoa! Whoa! Yes, I knew your family. Your family had supported the Order for a long time, giving shelter to passing Exorcists, donating money to the Church, sending supplies… Your father was a Vatican scientist, and it was originally his idea to take Akuma DNA and fuse it with human subjects. Don't mistake me, though. He was a good man, and he cared deeply for his fellow man, but he was very much a realist. Even he didn't realize how much those who were experimented upon would suffer, though. If he had, he probably would have kept his ideas to himself. Your mother was a beautiful woman, and an amazing cook. Exorcists would sometimes pass through there just to be able to eat at her house. I think she knew why they had company so often, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed cooking, and cooking for one or two more was never a problem. It was always only you and Komui as far as children went. As for Komui… He always doted on you. He was brilliant, even as a boy, and he often corresponded with your father about projects he was working on." Cross sighed again and glanced around, looking a little bit uncomfortable. Maybe he was having trouble being so sentimental. "Then, one night, when there were three Exorcists at the table, the Noah known as Road Kamelot broke into your house and declared that she had been sent to kill everyone there. Well, your father and the three Exorcists fought as well as they could, but they didn't really stand a chance, so one of the Exorcists, grabbed you and your brother, at your mother's request, and ran. He managed to get you out, but then, he had to go back and help his comrades. All of them died, naturally. Fortunately, your father set the house ablaze so that Order information wouldn't fall into Noah hands. It was your mother's wish that you never become involved in the Order like they were. They never wanted this for you and Komui. They wanted you to live a normal, happy life, free from such worries as the safety of the whole world."

*45 minutes earlier*

Allen was breathing heavily, having already sustained several injuries from the Level 5. The thing was a monster in the truest sense of the word. Its mind was gone, and all it knew was pain and hatred. Even though Allen pitied the poor creature, he couldn't afford to show it mercy. No. He had to act as though it was an enemy, as it would no doubt do the same thing in his position. The problem was that, although the creature was irrevocably insane, it was strong, fast, and powerful, and its blows, although they healed quicker than a normal person's still hurt horribly, and Allen got the feeling that the injuries weren't going to keep healing this fast. It wasn't anything that he could quantify. It was like this particular Akuma had the power to retard the healing process in a person, which was a nightmare for someone like Allen, whose main advantage against a beast like this was his fast healing. He looked down at the gash across his chest that had torn right through his dense Exorcist uniform, like it was nothing more than cotton. It was painful, and bleeding profusely. What was worse, though, was that it was glowing an eerie red color, as though emanating evil from itself. Furthermore, his left eye was hurting, and it seemed to be going haywire at the moment, making it all but useless, allowing him sight out of only his right eye. It seemed like nothing was going right for him that day. He had told Lenalee that he would make it back to the hotel that night, but at the rate he was going, he would be lucky to survive until that night.

Allen groaned and stood back up, putting his hand in his Edge form and gripping a lamppost with his Clown Belt, launching himself into the air, and then launching two more Belts to capture the Akuma, who merely stood there and allowed them to envelop it. This made Allen nervous, but he continued with his attack, and pulled, pulling the Akuma toward him, where the two simultaneously slashed at each other, drawing blood at the same time. Both Allen and the Akuma screamed in agony, Allen as the Soul Matter leaked into his wound, and the Akuma as the Innocence laced blood got into his body and in his face. The Akuma punched blindly, hitting Allen square in the chest, compressing his ribcage, causing Allen's breath to be torn from his lungs as he shot away and crashed into the ground, leaving a decent sized crater that nothing but a meteor impact would explain.

Allen groaned, and tried to stand, but his oxygen deprived lungs would not allow him the energy required to do so, and so, Allen just fell back as the Akuma finally managed to stand and swagger over to him, glaring down hatefully at him. Something in the Akuma's mad eyes, though screamed out for sympathy, rather than hatred, for understanding rather than disgust. And so, Allen smiled at the Akuma. It was a real smile. One such as he showed to none but his closest friends. Although he was terrified of this monster, he had a plan now. They were going to die together. Allen summoned the last vestiges of his strength and drew his Sword of Exorcism, reaching deep within himself for the remaining power that Road had left him. He wasn't trying to heal himself. He was going to command the Akuma.

"Akuma!" Allen said in a commandeering tone, one he thought might sound like a Noah's prideful, arrogant attitude. The Akuma now stared at Allen, confused. There was no longer anything that Allen could do to save this poor demon's soul. So he would do the only thing he could.

"Come closer." He ordered, and it obeyed. Allen reached up and touched the Akuma's face, trying to see the human that once existed behind those now lost and destroyed eyes.

"I am sorry that I have to do this to you. I hope you understand that I did not want it to end like this for either of us. But even if I kill you first, I will die. There is nobody for miles, and I don't wish to suffer anymore than you asked to suffer like you have. Goodbye, friend…"

The Akuma looked at him strangely, but seemed oddly enthralled by his gentle personality. He was nothing like the veritable demon that he had been facing mere moments before. This boy actually felt sorry for him, actually cared for him. He could no longer remember who he was, or what he may have been during life. Names, dates, family… All of that was lost, but still, this boy, one who was supposed to hate him, treated him like a human, like an equal.

"It's time to die. Self destruct in 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"

"Cease self destruct!" Came another voice. Allen gasped, and the Akuma looked up, standing and bowing to its owner.

"Lord Fiddler! Th-this boy, he has the power of the Noah! I could not disobey! Please do not be angry!" The Akuma pleaded with the Noah standing there. Fiddler sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not angry. This boy is quite special, and requires more than just your usual attention, Gintken. Leave immediately. You have completed your mission. The Earl is proud of you."

"Y-yes, Lord Fiddler…" Gintken said, bowing and flying off. Fiddler advanced on Allen and looked down at him icily before his face cracked into the typical Noah grin.

"Now, a quick death would be too good for you. Don't try to run. You're weak from your battle and you have nowhere to go. I'm going to kill you, Allen Walker. Then I'm going to devour you with my parasites. I will not leave even a trace of you left. That way, there's no way you can come back to life like you did with Tyki's… eh… mistake…" Fiddler said, waving his hand dismissively. He then stuck out his tongue, displaying to Allen the dozens of eyeballs on it. Allen gasped as the tongue seemed to leap of its own accord towards his neck, but just before it hit him… *Slash!* Fiddler shrieked in agony as blood spurted out of his tongue where it had been severed by an invisible blade. Allen looked back and saw that Cross was standing behind him. He had been sure the last time that he had seen his former master that it would truly be _the_ last time he saw his former master. However, here was the man with the vibrant red hair, and the perpetual arrogant smirk on his visage. Now, instead of Judgment, he held what looked to be a regular handgun, albeit a very large one, which he now pointed at Fiddler's head.

"I would have you know, Fiddler on the Roof…" Cross said with an evil laugh. "This gun fires more than just bullets. It's my own invention, and anyone who has an ounce of sorcerous prowess can wield it. It takes a tiny bit of one's magical energy from inside, magnifies it using quicksilver, and fires it at the target, which it will strike unerringly, and usually disintegrate in one shot. This baby is powerful enough to destroy a level 2 Akuma in one hit. It can't be corroded by your tongue because of its arcane properties, and in the right hands, it could be even blow a Noah's fucking brains out! Now, I'm not an Exorcist anymore, which means that officially I don't give a shit what you do or who you work for! However, you may want to run. You have three seconds to get you and your ugly ass tongue out of here! Three… Two… One! POW!"

Suddenly, Fiddler's head exploded in a fantastic display of gore, bone, flesh and brains and splattered against all surfaces within a 30 foot radius. Cross then looked down at Allen and sighed.

"You…" he said. "You haven't learned magic yet… nor have you taught yourself how to use Judgment and Grave of Maria. I told you that you'd have to in order to win. Crowned Clown isn't enough. Now, I'm taking you to the hospital. You can convalesce there, and Lenalee will meet you and you'll go back to HQ, and pretend that we never met. Give this to the R&D Department. Say you took it off a Noah's body, whom you killed. His name is Fiddler. He represents the Corrosion of Noah. His parasitic tongue has the ability to cause your body to dissolve like acid from the inside out. The process usually takes about 10 hours, as the parasites are very small, and eat slowly. It's quite as painful as being eaten by Tyki's Tease. You'd do well to avoid his ability if you can."

"H-how… do you… ggghh! Know this?"

"I know almost everything there is to know about the Noah Family. Only the Earl is truly all knowing on the subject, but I've stolen a lot of information. More than the Earl would like to admit. Now, let's get you to the hospital…"

"No! I-I have to help Lenalee!" Allen groaned, struggling to stand up and finally making it to his feet, but looking ready to collapse at any moment. At this time, Cross smiled and walked over to Allen, putting a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Allen's whole body felt like lead, and his limbs went limp. He was utterly unable to move, and Cross had lifted him over his shoulder, carrying him fireman style toward the hospital. Allen could not protest.

"Sorry, boy. I can't let you throw away your life yet. It's just minor paralysis. It will wear off in a day or so. You've broken your arm in two places, your leg, and your ribs are compressed. You need a hospital, not a fight."

"I could take you to see the place where the house used to be, you know…" Cross said quietly to Lenalee, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, taking a long drag and then exhaling slowly, causing Lenalee to wave her hand to dispel the smoke.

"Sorry, Lenalee. I'll put it out…"

"No… Y-you don't have to…" Lenalee said, sitting up slightly. Something Cross had done had healed her. She was already starting to feel better. Her ribs weren't aching, and her chest wasn't hurting as though she was short of breath.

"Did you want to see where you used to live? It's said that seeing places that were once important to a person can bring back repressed memories. You were very young when your parents died, but that doesn't mean that you won't remember if you see your old house…" Cross said, looking at Lenalee with a smile that didn't really seem to suit him at all.

"W-well… I-I mean… I do want to… B-but I couldn't just leave Allen-kun here." Lenalee said, although it was hard to refuse the chance to see her family's home. Maybe someday, after all of this was over, Komui would take her. She was sure that he knew where it was. Cross looked at Lenalee understandingly, then glanced away.

"You're just like your mother. She would never have left a friend behind either, no matter what the reason. Well… Let's go. We'd better get you to the hospital. I used magic to dull your body's reaction to pain, but that won't hold forever, and it doesn't fix any of the damage."

With this, Cross helped Lenalee stand, and he walked slowly beside her as she limped up to the pedestal, took the Innocence that she had worked so hard to obtain, and slowly made her way with way to the hospital with the former general, who seemed only too happy to help her in any way that he could. Together, they moved through the early morning streets of the small Swedish town, and finally, got to the hospital, which fortunately had connections to the Order, as did many hospitals, because of the amazing tendency of Exorcists to get themselves injured during battle. The two went into the hospital and checked into the ER, and Cross smiled at Lenalee and then walked out, leaving Lenalee sort of wondering if he had even been there at all, or if it had all been her imagination.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Lenalee sat by Allen's bed, holding his hand, staring down at him with a look of concern on her face. Much worse than Cross had anticipated, or at least, much worse than he had indicated, Allen now had a severe fever, and had been unconscious for over a week. His breathing was shallow and ragged, and not only did he appear to be ill, he seemed to be having nightmares. Every so often, Allen would begin muttering in his sleep. It was never the same nightmare twice, but it always had something to do with the Noah, or the Earl, or Akuma, or the Order…

Always he mentioned her name, though, and every time she heard her name spoken, whether she was awake or asleep, she instantly awoke, and tried to listen to the rest of what he was saying. He only ever spoke in broken sentences, though, and sometimes, what he said wasn't even intelligible. It was frustrating to know that there was nothing that she could do other than put fresh washcloths on his forehead from time to time, and sit there.

Komui came in and out of the room from time to time, mostly to check on Lenalee, and to try to get her to go back to the hotel to get some sleep. He also came in to check on Allen's status so that he could continue to make reports to Rouvellier, who had returned to the Order upon learning that Allen had gained power that should only belong to a Noah. Allen was not in as serious trouble this time, as he had proven the previous time that he had not betrayed the Order. However, Rouvellier still didn't like Allen, and as soon as he got back, he was sure to get a pile of paperwork to fill out and a personal visit from Link again.

Lenalee sighed. Allen had just gotten rid of Link. Although he was a nice enough person, his tendency to appear everywhere Allen did was irritating at best, and downright annoying most of the time. However, it wasn't like they had a choice. Allen had powers that the Vatican couldn't account for, and they had to get to the bottom of them. Of course, the Vatican itself had undertaken some fairly unscrupulous experiments to create better Exorcists in the past. But they weren't likely to see that when they were studying him. They only saw what they wanted to see. And what Rouvellier would always see when he looked at Allen was a dangerous element not to be trusted. His powerful Innocence was proof enough that he could cause trouble were he to turn on the Order. But he also seemed to have powers that ranged from being able to see Akuma to being able to regenerate, despite there being no record of him ever having been a subject of the Third Exorcist experiments. And apart from that, he had proven vulnerable to the Earl's manipulations in the past, having turned his own adoptive father into an Akuma, his adoptive father being none other than the older brother of the Fourteenth Noah, Neah Walker, the Destruction of Noah, and Allen seemed to have gained some of Neah's abilities, such as controlling the Ark, and some other things that only the Fourteenth could know. Rouvellier didn't like Allen at all, and he was going to keep a close eye on him.

In fact, Rouvellier had come in once himself, with Link in tow, to check on Allen. His official reason was to see that Allen was alright. But Lenalee knew the truth. Allen's wounds were no longer life threatening. Rouvellier wanted to be there as soon as Allen woke up so that he could interrogate him. And Link was there as extra power. Lenalee had seen Link do battle. He was an able combatant, and not to be taken lightly, especially by one who, despite his regenerative abilities, was still convalescing.

And in fact, Lenalee could now hear that same man walking down the hall, Link's footsteps behind him, and Komui trying to convince him to return later. Lenalee miserably steeled herself for the inevitable confrontation that would ensue from her coming across Rouvellier. She hated him with a passion, and at the same time, was terrified of him. Something about him struck every wrong chord in her. Unfortunately, though, now, Allen seemed to be stirring. She could hear him moaning, and feel his hand twitching as he slowly awoke again. His fever was still fairly severe, and Lenalee didn't want Rouvellier interrogating him at the moment. So, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, hoping that he would understand her.

"Don't open your eyes. Pretend you're asleep…"

"Don't eat the fries? Try the sheep?" he muttered, stretching, and opening his eyes slowly, much to Lenalee's dismay. He then sat up and shook his head.

"Ugh… Where are we? My eye… It hurts…" Allen groaned, covering up his left eye. Lenalee pulled his hand away from it, but as soon as she did, and she looked into his eye, she was slammed back against the wall by a blast of Dark Energy exploding from his eye, causing both Allen and Lenalee to shriek in both pain and shock. Allen's eye was now bleeding severely, having been blown apart from the inside, and several pieces of it were stuck onto Lenalee's face and clothes, along with his blood, which also covered Allen's hospital robes, his sheets, and the floor.

Lenalee should have expected it. They had made so much noise, that people were bound to notice, and sure enough, moments later, Rouvellier ran in, followed by Link, and then Komui. Rouvellier looked around in shock. He looked from Allen, who had blood on him, to Lenalee, who had several minor injuries. Komui ran over to Lenalee and Link went to Allen to look at Allen's left eye. He looked at it momentarily, and then looked up and nodded that it was safe to approach. Rouvellier strode over to Allen and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently.

"What happened! What did you do!"

"I-I don't know!" Allen shouted defensively, backing away from Rouvellier, his back pressed hard against his rough wooden headboard. "I-it just… E-exploded! I d-d-don't understand it!"

"Get off of him!" Lenalee cried, jumping up and running over, trying to drag Rouvellier off of Allen, but only succeeding in tiring herself out. He was far too heavy for her to move.

"Sir…" Link said calmly, standing back and bowing to Rouvellier, who looked over at him imperiously.

"Sir, I think for the moment, we might do better not to antagonize him right now. Such strain may impede his healing, causing him to be longer before he can return to seeking out Innocence."

"Yes… You're right. I suppose I… got carried away. Please excuse my interruption. Consider yourself on probation, Exorcist Allen Walker. I knew last time, even after we left, that you were not to be trusted. And I see I was spot on. Link, remain here and make sure that Walker does not decide to go for any late night walks. Miss Lee, you are needed back at Headquarters for duties much more appropriate to an Exorcist than taking care of a convalescent like a simple nurse…" He said this last sentence with an air of disgust, as though Lenalee should understand that it was beneath her to care about Allen. Before she could contradict Rouvellier, though, Komui stood and spoke instead.

"Perhaps you would be so good as to not order us around. The Exorcists at Main HQ are not your servants… Or would you consider them pawns? I'd like you to leave, inspector…" Komui stressed the word _inspector_, adding as much of his annoyance, and as much venom as he could. Rouvellier simply sneered at Komui, as though the man were also beneath him, and strode out of the hospital room, wishing everyone a good day.

Once Rouvellier was gone, Allen shook his head to clear it of the buzzing feeling. Lenalee moved closer to Allen once more and stared at his face. His left eye was a gory mess, but his right eye now was blood red. Lenalee fell back with a tiny yelp of shock. Allen looked around in alarm, and, seeing nothing wrong, he looked at Lenalee and smiled nervously.

"What? I don't look that bad, do I?"

"N-no… N-n-not at all…! J-just… Y-your eye…"

"But you saw my eye explode. You know I didn't do anything!"

"Not your left eye! Your right eye!"

"My _right_ eye?" Allen asked, looking quite stupid with his mouth open like that. Lenalee fished around in her pocket for a hand mirror, which she promptly found and handed to Allen, who looked in the mirror and gasped, dropping the small trinket, causing it to shatter on the tile floor with a tinkle of glass and metal.

"S-sorry, Lenalee! M-my hand… It slipped. I was just a little s-surprised… I-I promise I'll replace it!" Allen said nervously, wrapping and unwrapping strands of his now quite long hair around his finger. Lenalee sighed and walked over to Allen, sitting down on his bedside and taking some gauze from the pan next to them and pouring some Hydrogen Peroxide, and picking the pad up with two ear cleaners like a pair of chopsticks and she dabbed Allen's left eye with it, cleaning around the eye, moving carefully right to the rim of the injury, and then drying it off and putting a bandage over it, smiling at Allen and putting a hand on his shoulder, and her other hand over his forehead, noticing to her surprise that his fever had already begun to die down.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't care that much about it." She said truthfully. Allen sighed in relief and smiled at her. He then looked at Link, who was sitting in the corner, watching them carefully, making sure nothing happened with Allen.

"Link… Do you think I did anything wrong?" Allen asked quietly. Lenalee looked over at him, causing Link to glance away momentarily.

"It does not matter what I think, Miss Lee, Mr. Walker."

"It matters to me." Allen replied.

"I do not believe that you have performed any acts of misconduct. However, my opinion is unimportant to the Vatican. The inspector asked me to make sure that you did not leave. But, he did not require me to remain in the room. If you promise not to misbehave, I may need to get a cup of coffee…" He said, never dropping his usual deadpan façade, but Allen was sure that he heard just the tiniest hint of laughter behind the former CROW member's comment.

"Thank you, Link." Allen said, smiling at him. He was sure that Link smiled on his way out, as well, but as he closed the door a moment later, he could not be sure.

"I'm glad he's gone. Cross, what did he say to you? He didn't do anything did he?" Allen asked, feeling this to be rather an urgent question.

"Of course not. I was injured, and he helped me walk to the hospital. He… He said that he knew my parents…" Lenalee said, the memory of that conversation with Cross bringing tears to her eyes again. Allen tried to stand, so that he could go over to Lenalee, but found movement impossible, not only because his body was so heavy, despite being somewhat drastically underweight, and of course, because of the IV in his arm. Lenalee saw him trying to move and jumped up, walking over and sitting down next to Allen instead. Allen sighed.

"Allen-kun…"

"I'm fine. Sorry… I…"

"Allen-kun! You're so skinny!" Lenalee exclaimed, looking down at his shoulder, which seemed as though it was nothing but skin and bone. "H-have you been losing even _more_ weight! You were already skinny as a rail when you joined the Order. I get that your parasitic Innocence keeps you thin, but this is absurd!"

"I-I guess I still haven't gained the weight back from the last time. It's easy for me to lose weight, but hard to gain it back. Oh, Lenalee, Cross gave me this gun. Supposedly it only works for people with sorcerous talent, although I suspect that people with parasitic Innocence might also be able to fire it, to lesser effect, of course. Let's see… Where is it…" Allen said, rooting around in his ruined Exorcist coat, and finally drew out a huge silver handgun with an elongated barrel that looked remarkably similar to Judgment.

"From what Cross said, it has quicksilver in it, which magnifies any magical energy channeled into it and fires it as a single blast that can rip right through a level 2 Akuma. Cross says that we need to learn magic quickly, or we might lose the war."

"Do you promise not to tell anyone about this, Allen-kun?"

"About what?" Allen asked, confused, until Lenalee cupped his cheek and drew in closer to kiss him. Just as they were about to touch lips, though, Lavi and Lou Fa walked into the room, interrupting them quite abruptly.

"H-huh! L-Lou Fa! Lavi!" Allen asked, looking between them, quite startled.

"M-M-M-Mr. Walker! I-I-I'm…" Lou Fa began. Then, she bowed deeply, trying desperately to cover her beet red face. "I'm very sorry, I'll come back when it's more convenient for you!" She cried, running out of the room, trying hard to hold her tears until she could be alone. Only Lavi stayed, and although he was blushing a little bit, he also had a bit of a smirk on his face. Maybe it was because this situation would make for great blackmail against Allen. Or maybe it was just the look on Lou Fa's face. Allen didn't know. But whenever Lavi was grinning like that, it was rarely a good thing.

"Hey, guys. Sorry for… pfft! Interrupting you… Anyhow, I just came to see how Allen was doing. What's that? You planning to shoot up the hospital? I dunno if that's such a good idea." Lavi said, pointing at the handgun that Allen was now trying to hide. Allen sighed, though, and handed Lavi the gun, explaining it to him, and giving him the lie that Cross ordered him to relay. Although Lavi seemed suspicious for a moment, he didn't question Allen's explanation, and he took the gun, and brought it out to give to Komui, who nodded and went back to HQ to give to the R&D Department, so that they could analyze and reproduce it for CROW and anyone else who lay claim to magical ability. Allen seemed to realize that he wasn't going to get that kiss, and he was too tired to even bother trying for the moment. For Lenalee's part, she noticed that Allen was tired and stood and bade him farewell for the moment.

Suspiciously, although, not really, just as she was walking out, Link walked back in with some coffee, and sat back down in the corner, setting the cup on the floor. Allen sighed and looked at Link. As much as he personally liked the man, he was sure that he had finally seen the last of him when he last left. Now, it was the Inquisition all over again, and Allen wasn't sure if he would ever get rid of Link this time. Link seemed aware of Allen's feelings, at least on some level, because he looked at the young exorcist sympathetically, and said, "Look, if you fill out all the paperwork, pass the initial inspection, and show no signs of being a danger to the Order or the Vatican, then we'll probably be able to leave you alone. However, until then, you are under 24 hour watch. Do not try to leave the room, please, for any reason. I have been trained to be a light sleeper, and I will wake up if you attempt to escape."

"What about trips to the bathroom?" Allen asked sarcastically.

"Fortunately, we won't have to find out. There is a bathroom right over there." Link replied, glancing over at a half open door, and Allen nodded, laying back and going to sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"M-Mr. Walker?" Lou Fa said meekly, walking into the hospital room with a huge cart, which was creaking rather severely under the weight of all the food, apparently having been under the completely correct impression that Allen was probably hungry.

"Oh, hi, Lou Fa…" Allen said with a polite smile.

"I-I… umm… brought some food for you. You looked hungry yesterday, so I thought maybe you hadn't been eating enough."

It was true. Allen was hungry, and he hadn't been eating nearly enough, as the hotel that they had been staying in would have charged a huge bill for such large meals, and Allen was fairly sure that the Order wouldn't pay that kind of bill. It was stingy of them, but Allen had never heard of such misers like the Catholic Church.

"Thank you very much! I'm starving, actually…" Allen said, his stomach growling, as if for emphasis. Lou Fa giggled at this, then pushed the tray over to Allen's bedside, sitting down on the other side, looking nervously at Allen.

"Y-you and Miss Lee are in love… A-aren't you… Mr. Walker?" Lou Fa asked, blushing heavily at her own question. She knew that she couldn't avoid the subject forever. But it was hard to bring it up right now, especially the day after she had seen Allen and Lenalee kissing like that.

"Y-yes… Well… I-I'm in love with her. I-I don't really know how she feels about it…" Allen said, glancing from the floor to the ceiling, apparently feeling uncomfortable.

"She is." Lou Fa said simply. "I see the way she looks at you. You and she have something special… And… I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Walker…"

For a moment, Allen was surprised. Was Lou Fa moving again to a different HQ? It didn't seem likely. She had just been transferred to Main HQ, and American and Australian HQ were still being rebuilt after the massive attacks on them from a few months before. Then it dawned on him, though, and he felt like slapping himself for being so dense. Had Lou Fa liked him all this time?"

"H-how long?" was all Allen could say.

"Ever since you first came to Asian HQ to restore your Innocence."

"I'm sorry. I should have noticed then."

"No! Please don't apologize! I'm so happy that I got to meet you. That we got to be friends, and that I got to move to the same headquarters as you! I'm happy that you're even still willing to talk to me. I-I saw how close you and Miss Lee were, and… I was really jealous. I shouldn't have been, and I'm sorry!"

"It's alright… There's nothing to apologize for… Oh, and, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes! Of course! Anything!" Lou Fa said excitedly, her eyes lighting up, her back going straight and rigid.

"Call me Allen? Being called Mr. Walker makes me feel like an old man…" Allen said with a laugh.

"Y-yes… Sure… Allen…" Lou Fa said, blushing lightly, but feeling happier than she had in a long time.

"I hope you get well soon, Allen! The R&D Department has created a new line of uniforms. They're able to fit any body type, can become nice and cool in warm weather, will instantly become dense and warm in cold weather, and is made with the strongest materials, woven in with nanomachines so that it can adjust itself to resist even the most powerful physical attacks, but it's still flexible enough to give your body a full range of movement! We're calling them Smart Suits!" Lou Fa said, her voice rising in urgency. It was at times like these that Allen realized just how very much like a scientist she really was. She was nearly ecstatic over the R&D Department's triumph in this area, and couldn't wait for someone to test the uniform out. Allen laughed upon seeing how happy she was.

"That sounds incredible, Lou Fa! I can't wait to try it on!" Allen said happily. Then he saw that Lou Fa's expression had saddened again.

"Unfortunately, we only had enough funding to make a single male model and a single female model… They're very expensive, and the Vatican only gives us so much money every year to work with."

"Is _money_ all that's standing in your way?" Allen asked incredulously, with a small laugh. He could fix that problem in a breeze with his gambling skills.

"How much does one uniform cost to produce?"

"A-Approximately £10.000.000…" Lou Fa whimpered. At the mention of this much money, though, Allen's warmhearted smile turned into one of pure demonic malice, and greed. Long horns came out of his head and his tongue became forked, and fire began to burn behind him.

"Mehehehehehhhh! I can make that much in a single day easily. How many Exorcists exist in the world right now…?"

"Umm…" Lou Fa began nervously. "Maybe 15 or 20… give or take a few?" she stuttered.

"I could bring in £500.000.000 by next week if I had to! Mwahahahahahahahahaaaaa!"

At this, Lou Fa got up and smiled placatingly, backing slowly out of the room while Allen ranted about money, and debts that he used to have to pay for his master. Lou Fa had never known that he had such a dark side. As she got out of the room, she started to run, resolving never to ask Allen about money again. Seeing him like that was just plain scary. £500.000.000 was a lot of money, but if Allen was really as good at gambling as he said he was, then he could probably bring in that much. She knew a little bit about Cross, and about his obscene spending habits. However, to hear that he foisted his debts upon Allen was surprising to say the least. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay and wait for Allen to calm down. They had finally gotten through all of their other work at the R&D Department, and were about to crack open those six crates of papers that Allen, Lenalee, Miranda, and Krory had brought back from the new Ark, so they could analyze them. They weren't sure what they were going to find in there, but if it was anywhere near as incredible as the Ark itself, it was bound to be centuries or more ahead of anything currently available anywhere.

As Lou Fa ran out the front door, she slammed into Komui, who was walking in, not paying attention, and he was pushed back slightly, dropping his coffee cup, which broke right on Lou Fa's head mere moments after she hit the floor.

"Owowowow!" Lou Fa moaned… rubbing her head and feeling the coffee mixed now with blood from the shattered coffee mug.

"Hm… Looks like I'm going to have to get a new coffee mug…" Komui sighed, showing utter lack of concern for Lou Fa. Fortunately, she didn't seem to hear him, as she had just gotten up and was now busy bowing and apologizing for running into him.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Lou Fa. We've all seen Allen in Demonic Gambling Mode. It is pretty frightening."

"W-what! Please don't read my mind!" Lou Fa complained, dusting herself off.

"I didn't. You told me yesterday you were going to tell him about the new uniforms. I already knew that you didn't have enough money to go ahead with the line. Allen's a smart kid. He'd put two and two together, and naturally, he'd want to help. Although you might want to ask him not to get too carried away. The Vatican surely doesn't want that kind of negative attention."

Finally, Allen was able to leave the hospital. His natural healing had set back in, and he was good as new, if not better. His left eye had come back in, and he had tested it out. Other than being able to see further away than before, about 900 meters (2.953 feet) as opposed to 300 meters before (984 feet). He didn't know why his right eye had turned red, but he was sure that he would find out soon enough. Komui speculated that the reason for these changes was that the original Pentacle Eye Curse that he received as a result of Mana attacking him was due to Dark Matter that was released from Mana during the attack was evolving as a result of the increasingly large amount of Dark Matter that was being forced into Allen's body, which was binding the curse closer and closer to his own soul, and enhancing it, making the curse, and therefore, the power derived from it, that much greater.

The first thing Allen did was go to the nearest tavern and get a huge dinner that the church agreed to pay for, despite the fact that it cost them £1.000 to do so. At least, they argued, it was better than having to pay ten times that for a single bottle of wine that Cross would drink all by himself, and then send them out to get three more like it. And also, they said, he was performing a service for them at the time. He was 'collecting funds' to pay for the new uniforms that the R&D Department had created, but that were so very expensive to the point that they couldn't make any more than one male and one female model.

It took Allen all of five days, rather than the estimated week to gather the funds that he needed and leave town to get back to the Order HQ with £500.000.000, which he instantly took to the R&D Department, amongst much cheering from the scientists. A few were brave enough to question how he had gotten the money so fast. But upon being asked if they _really_ wanted to know, all of them backed down with a shake of their heads. They weren't that interested. And besides, if they didn't ask, then they didn't have to lie when the Vatican asked.

Behind Allen, Link sighed and started thinking about when he was going to get to go to sleep. He had not slept in over a week, having had to watch Allen awake in Demonic Gambling Mode the whole time. He was exhausted, and he just wanted to go to bed. Unfortunately, he still had work to do. He had to watch Allen filling out endless piles of paperwork, just like last time. Link had never before questioned his place in the Order, and working as Rouvellier's assistant had its benefits, namely, not having to fight as much. However, he did sometimes tire of the miles of red tape that one had to go through to get anything done. Also, Rouvellier was a very rigid man, with no sympathy for anyone. He was ice cold, and willing to use everyone around him to accomplish his goal, which was winning the war. Link couldn't deny that winning the war was important. However, if the cost was too high, then what was the point, in the end? If everyone, if Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, Miranda, Krory, the scientists, his fellow Third Exorcists were all dead, then what was left in the new world?

Link looked over at Allen appraisingly, as the young Exorcist filled out sheet after tedious sheet of paperwork, documenting every power that he had, every job he had ever done, every country he had ever been to, every Akuma, and Noah he had ever fought. The boy was so young, younger than Link, to be shouldering such a heavy responsibility. The Heart of the Innocence resided within him, or half of it did, at least. The other half was within Lenalee. It made sense in an obscure sort of way. Allen's Innocence was a parasitic type. Lenalee's was an equipment type. When brought into proximity, they represented the two sides of God's own heart, that which was inherent in every human, but not always visible, and that which was demonstrably in His own image. Link had never trusted in God until he had seen some of the things that Allen and Lenalee were able to do, or the bond that they shared between them. It was something that could only be called miraculous. It showed him finally that there was someone out there who truly did represent God's will, and made him feel as though maybe the war wasn't already lost.

After several hours of filling out paperwork, Allen fell asleep right at his desk, and Link decided not to wake him up, as Rouvellier would have done. Instead, Link simply stood and then laid down on the cot that had been brought in for him, and fell asleep, himself.

That night, Allen's dreams were, again, plagued by strange visions that danced through his mind, all hiding in a haze, as if a thin ground fog was picking up and flowing through his mind, keeping him from thinking clearly. Images were blurred and the symbols that he was sure he should somehow recognize were indescribably bizarre and difficult to decipher. The Noah came into his mind sometimes, and the Earl. The fat nihilist would dance across the "stage" that he had set with Rouvellier, locked in a constant violent, bloody, and ice cold dance of mutual hatred, neither one quite able to gain the upper hand. Link would follow close behind with tall stacks of paperwork, telling Komui, who was running around sobbing about Lenalee getting married, that he had to sign off on the forms he was holding. Meanwhile, Lou Fa and Lenalee were speaking in a language that Allen didn't recognize, perhaps Chinese, and Kanda was attacking Akuma and Noah alike fiercely with his sword, but for every Akuma he killed, ten more took its place, and five more evolved. Road was skipping merrily in circles around Allen, tossing cherry petals around like it was Springtime, and Tyki was sitting in the background drinking cheap beer and playing cards with Momo, Eeze, and Clak, while Wisely predicted a dark future for all of them. Lulubell went in and out of her cat form on occasion, following the Earl, trying to talk to him, seeming to want his attention, although the Earl was far too involved in his battle with Rouvellier. Cross sat back with his arm around Klaud Nyne's shoulder, drinking Romanée Conti, while Klaud commented that he was going to get in trouble for getting a £20,000 bottle of wine.

Then, that was where the dream got strange. The sky suddenly went blood red, and the ground turned pitch black, and they were no longer in the strange dream world, but in that post-apocalyptic world of which he dreamt so often.

"You have failed, Allen Walker! The Heart belongs to me… Bwahahahahaha!" The Earl laughed maniacally and crushed Allen's Innocence in his hand like an ant before moving on to destroy Lenalee's Innocence. After that, he looked at Lenalee.

"It seems a shame for such a beautiful woman to die so young. But alas, were you and Allen Walker to live, you could be problematic for me. And in the next moment, the Earl took out his gigantic sword and thrust it through Lenalee's chest. Allen could hear himself screaming Lenalee's name, but it sounded like someone else, like he was watching from a distance someone else's pain, the end of someone else's world. Then, the Earl, and the Noah, and the Akuma descended on the other Exorcists. Though their Innocence didn't need to be destroyed, they proceeded to murder each of them in turn, laughing as they did, taking great pleasure in drawing out the death as long as they could to extract the greatest amount of agony possible from their hated enemies. The Heart was gone. The war was lost, and in the background, Allen could hear Rouvellier accusing him of being a traitor and a heretic, and Cross shaking his head and wondering aloud why Allen hadn't tried harder.

"I tried as hard a-as I could! I-it just w-wasn't enough…" Was all Allen could say in response. He felt guiltier than he had ever felt in his life. It was like his own heart had been ripped out the moment his Innocence had been destroyed. He could feel his last vestiges of strength leave him, and his vision going blurry. But the Earl then went up to him and laughed again.

"You have caused me great distress, Allen Walker. I take great pleasure now in killing you! Then, since there are no more Exorcists in the way, I will destroy God and take over the world. For centuries, I have rebuilt my strength, and finally, I am ready. It will cost me greatly to do this, but this final ritual will truly destroy God, and in the process, cause me to ascend to Godhood, where I will reign over humanity as I was meant to do, with Lilith by my side, we shall be unstoppable! Goodbye, Allen Walker!"

Then, the blade came down, and Allen screamed as he shot up in his chair, and fell backwards, hitting his head on the cold, hard floor, drenched in an ice cold sweat, heart beating rapidly, breathing heavy, and feeling like he had just been hit by a train. For a moment, he couldn't stop screaming, but then he felt a strong hand over his mouth, and he looked up, eyes wide with terror. He couldn't see his attacker, and he was scared. This person was about to kill him. He bit his attacker's hand and jumped up as soon as they let go, activating his Innocence in a wild frenzy, and running at the attacker, who barely managed to get out of the way in time, and tripped over the chair as Allen's Edge ripped through his wall. Allen then turned again, and tried to attack, but was stopped by a heavy blow to the back of the head. It didn't knock him out, but it did knock him over, and put some sense back into him.

"Allen-kun! Are you alright! I heard you screaming, and I came running as quickly as I could! Is Link alright!"

"L-Link? Who? Where are we? What happened? Where's… Where's the Earl… and the Noah…?"

"Allen-kun, you were just having a nightmare. You're in your own room. The Earl and the Noah aren't here. It's just you, Link and I."

"Yes…" Link said, straightening himself up and covering a large bruise on his left arm with his right hand. "We are the only ones here."

"Th-then who grabbed me! S-someone w-was trying… t-to suffocate me!"

"_I_ grabbed you." Link said bluntly. "I wasn't trying to suffocate you. I was trying to quiet you down. You were screaming at the top of your lungs at 3:30 in the morning. It probably wasn't the best idea, in retrospect, to sneak up behind you when you were in such a panic, though." Link said, looking away, almost as if he was apologizing.

"I-I taste blood. Who…"

"Me. You bit me pretty hard. It hurt!" Link said, no longer looking quite so penitent, but rather, annoyed that Allen had injured him.

"I-I'm sorry, Link. I just… Had a bad dream…"

"Does this happen often, Walker? These nightmares?" Link asked suspiciously. Allen shook his head without even thinking. Strictly speaking, that wasn't true. He fairly often had nightmares. They had never been this bad before, though. It seemed as though his nightmares were progressively getting worse and worse. He could tell that he would probably not sleep again that night. He was too upset. He was crying in his dream, as evidenced by the tears staining his face. But now, he felt, upon thinking about the dream, about Lenalee, and Lavi, and Komui, and Krory, and Miranda… All of them dead, even Timothy, who was barely 10 years old, and the new exorcist who had only been sent on one mission, in which he performed admirably. Dead. There was nothing he could do to bring them back. Wait. No, it was just a dream! He could prove it. Lenalee was standing right next to him. He couldn't stand it anymore. His dream had been so real, had felt so real that being awake now wasn't much different. All that had changed was the location and the people. He had been forced to watch Lenalee die again, just like he did at least three nights a week, usually four or five, and if it wasn't Lenalee dying, it was one of his other friends. Lavi. Miranda. Timothy. Krory… It wasn't fair! He couldn't take it! These dreams were driving him insane!

Allen yanked his Exorcist jacket open, not bothering to remove it, undid his vest and his white shirt, at which point Lenalee made a point of looking away. Allen looked down at his chest. It was true that there was still a fading mark where he had once been impaled by his own Sword of Exorcism, which had reacted negatively to the Fourteenth inside of him. However, that scar was almost gone, and there was no new one where the Earl's sword had pierced him, and yet he still felt as though he had just been stabbed in the chest by a huge Zanbatô. He felt his chest and abdomen, trying to find where the sword had impaled him, but had no luck in doing so. Allen looked at Lenalee, his eyes still wild and rather disturbing to look into. He walked over to her, and stared for a moment, before reaching out and touching Lenalee's face, just to make sure that she was real. Then, he reached out with his other hand and held her head for a few seconds. One hand moved up to her hair, rubbing her head and the other moved down to her arm, almost as if he didn't believe that she was real.

After a few minutes of this, Lenalee stopped looking away, and pushed him off of her, taking his hand and making him sit on the bed.

"Hit me!"

"W-what?" Lenalee asked, shaking her head confusedly.

"H-hit me! Punch me, kick me, pinch me, whatever!" Allen said, his entire body trembling violently, as if he suffered from some strange madness.

"Allen-kun, I'm not going to hit you. How would that even help?" Lenalee asked skeptically.

"I see what Walker is thinking. Move aside Miss Lee." Link said quietly, gently giving Lenalee a nudge and looking Allen in the face. He then poked Allen in his left eye hard, and Allen yelped and fell back, holding his eye.

"O-okay… Fine… I-I'm awake. It was just a dream… Just a dream…" He muttered to himself, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"Allen-kun, what is it? Why are you acting so strangely?"

"I-I was stabbed. In the chest. The Earl killed me with his sword. I should have a huge gash in my chest…" Allen said blankly, his face displaying none of the warmth that it usually did. It was empty, and haunted at the same time.

"No, Allen-kun. It was just a nightmare. Come on! You're alright now!" Lenalee urged quietly, trying to wake Allen up. His eyes were open, and he was clearly not asleep, but he wasn't fully awake, either. Something was wrong.

"A-and you… Lenalee. You were killed. I saw him kill you."

"Who killed me?"

"The Earl. A-and Miranda, and Krory, and Timothy… No! It's just a dream! It wasn't real! I-it can't be real! Th-they can't all be dead!"

"They aren't dead!" Lenalee pleaded with Allen. She felt like she was losing him to some pitch black void. "I'll bring them all here, right now if you need me to! I'll show you they're all alive!"

"N-no… Don't bother them. It's like Link said. It's 3:30 in the morning… I don't assume Lavi would very much appreciate being woken up just to prove my nightmare didn't really happen."

"Allen-kun… I'll stay with you tonight. Link, please don't report this to Rouvellier. Allen-kun needs help, not prison."

"No, we can't ask him to do that. If Rouvellier really wants me gone, he'll find a way, whether or not I'm having nightmares."

"I will not say anything, Miss Lee. In my opinion, any nightmares that he may be having are not relevant to whether he is safe or not. I need some coffee. I'm trusting you not to let Walker out of this room, Miss Lee." Link sighed, resting his head on his hand and walking from the room, closing the door, and heading down to the cafeteria for a break. Surely there would be _someone_ there, even at that time of the morning.

"O-of course." Lenalee replied, waving goodbye to Link. As soon as he shut the door, she walked over to Allen and pulled him back over to his bed and pushed him down on it. He was only wearing his white shirt, now, though there was hardly any point, because he had ripped all of the buttons off when he tore his shirt open to see if there was a wound on his chest, though he would have been able to tell as much just from looking at his shirt, even under his vest. Lenalee sat down next to Allen and put a hand on his shoulder. His left eye was healing even more quickly than they could have imagined. Lenalee moved her other hand up to brush some hair out of his face.

Staring back at Lenalee guiltily. His dreams hadn't come to anything so far, but what if they were glimpses of the future? What if Lenalee was going to die and it was all going to be his fault.

"Allen-kun! Don't you dare think like that!" Lenalee said fiercely, grabbing his hands and squeezing them tightly, but not hard enough to hurt. "It's completely possible that I will die in this war. I told you that already. If I do, though, it won't be your fault. It won't be anyone's fault."

"Okay." Allen said with his usual smile, like he was only being agreeable so that she wouldn't say anymore about it. Lenalee scowled at him, and turned away for a moment, but then turned back and shook her head.

Lenalee put a hand on Allen's cheek, and kissed him, brushing her lips softly against his. As Lenalee pulled away, if only momentarily, she noticed Allen's surprised face.

"That was out of nowhere." Allen said with an embarrassed laugh. Lenalee giggled slightly, blushing. Lenalee was so beautiful, Allen thought. He sometimes wondered how he managed to get her.

"We haven't kissed in a while. I saw you in the hospital, then you went out for a week, and when you got back, you went immediately to your room, and started filling out paperwork. Besides, it's fun to see you blush," Lenalee said, kissing Allen again, holding him there for a moment before breaking away again. Almost immediately, though, Allen returned the kiss, moving more passionately now, pulling Lenalee's body close to his and snaking his left hand around her side and settling on the small of her back, so that Lenalee gave a small start of surprise. As she gasped, Allen let his tongue move past her perfect lips and into her mouth, sliding along the back of her teeth. At first, Lenalee was surprised, but then she slowly closed her eyes and returned the kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth as well so that their kiss became a feverish, dizzying dance.

Finally, they pulled away at the same time, breathing heavily. Neither wanted to stop, though. Allen slowly moved his hands up Lenalee's body, feeling along every gentle, supple curve, and towards the buttons on her nightgown. At the same time, he shrugged off his own shirt, and allowed it to fall on the floor. Lenalee sighed contentedly as Allen brushed over her now bare arms with his hands. In turn, Lenalee moved her hands to Allen's chest and abdomen, stroking up and down, leaving a cool, yet somehow warm, sensation everywhere she touched.

As the two continued to touch each other, and get undressed, they made their way over to Allen's bed. Allen wondered sometimes what he had done in whatever past lives he may have had to deserve this. As his hands moved over Lenalee's body, feeling every inch of her perfect, smooth, supple skin, he wondered if he had been some great hero in the past. If so, he had really gotten the shit end of the stick in this life. He couldn't even keep himself safe, let alone his friends. Slowly, Allen moved closer to Lenalee, and kissed her cheek, moving down her neck and collarbone, even as his hand moved down to pull her panties off. Lenalee blushed in embarrassment at this, but didn't stop him, even when his fingers began to move up and down her pussy, brushing over her clit and occasionally prodding in and out, causing Lenalee to gasp and squeal with pleasure with each movement. Soon, Lenalee cried out with her release, soaking Allen's hand with her fluids.

"Please, Allen-kun. Take me, now…" She breathed, her chest already heaving in and out. Allen nodded and rolled over, straddling his love, and staring into her beautiful brown eyes, and slowly pushed into her, groaning in pleasure as he stopped momentarily at her barrier, but then broke through, earning a tiny shriek of pain from Lenalee, who quickly worked to cover it up. Allen wasn't fooled, though, and looked at her, eyes filled with concern.

"Are you alright? D-do you want to stop?" He asked.

"N-no…" Lenalee said, wiping away her tears and smiling. "I-it's supposed to hurt the first time. Please don't think anything of it…"

Allen looked at her with concern, but her determined look encouraged him to start again. Slowly, he bent down and kissed her on the lips as he began to move, slowly at first, but then picking up speed. He could hear Lenalee gasping and moaning beneath him, somewhere between pain and ecstasy, their heartbeats synchronized, breathing as one, their bodies seeming so close that it was difficult to know where one ended and the other began. Allen could feel his release coming. White light was starting to cloud his vision, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears, or was it Lenalee's heart? Soon, he gasped one last time and stiffened as he released inside of her, finally slackening, and collapsing next to her. For a few minutes, they kissed, and then fell asleep together.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Alright, Allen… Let's see. Assignment, assignment. There's a small village in China where an elderly bow maker, and archer says that he made an incredibly fine bow decades ago, out of a strange tree that he's never seen another example of, but that the bow wouldn't work, and in fact, it backfires on anyone who uses it, usually killing them. There's a pretty good chance that this is Innocence in the bow, so I want you to go to the village, and pick up the bow. Also, there is one request I would like to make, if you would. Please bring along a member of the Science Department so that they can take readings on their new uniforms, which, speaking of which, there is a uniform with your name on it waiting for you down there. Lou Fa says she'd be more than happy to go with you."

"Okay. I suppose I had better get my new uniform, then. After all, it wouldn't do at all to incapacitate myself because of lack of caution." Allen said with a smile, walking out the door, only to run into Lou Fa, who was kneeling at the door, with a stethoscope pressed to it. As Allen opened the door, it slammed into her face, breaking her glasses and hitting her nose.

"Owowowowowowowowow…" Lou Fa moaned, sitting up and looking at her badly fractured glasses. More like completely shattered.

"My glasses! Damnit! I can't see a thing without my glasses, and now I won't be able to accompany Mr. Walker on his assignment, and I'll never get to see how the new uniforms work, and he'll think I don't want to be around him! Ohhhhh!" She wailed in despair, forgetting that she had an extra pair of glasses in her pocket for just such an occasion. Allen knelt down and looked at Lou Fa, holding her head still for a moment.

"Sorry, Lou Fa. Are you alright?" He asked kindly, giving her a handkerchief to wipe her nose, which was now rather bloody.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just have no idea how I'm going to get back to my room. It seems Mr. Walker must have passed right by me, too, even though I was listening the whole time. Maybe this blow to the face disoriented me more than I thought."

"Is that so? Would you like some help. I think you have something in your lab coat pocket. Maybe it's a spare pair of glasses?" He hoped that now, she would put on her glasses, realize that the person she was talking about was standing right in front of her, and get done with it. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. She nodded and reached for her pocket, but didn't put them on yet.

"Hn? Oh! Yes! My spare glasses! How could I have forgotten that! I feel so dumb, now! What would Mr. Walker think if he saw me like this! I'm such a mess, and my hair is completely hopeless, and now my nose is probably as flat as my chest!" She complained loudly. Fortunately, Allen was the only one around at the moment. He was about to tell her that Allen was right in front of her, but instead of listening, she just plowed on. "Not that I would be any match for that Lenalee, anyhow, even if my hair and my boobs were worth looking at…" It seemed like she had totally forgotten that Allen was there. He felt about as significant as a lamp at the moment.

"It's not fair that she gets all the looks, and the strength, and the talent, and I'm stuck with nothing but some skill with math!" She despaired. Finally, after what seemed like ages, and after much embarrassment on Allen's part, she fumbled with her spectacles and put them on, looking around and seeing Allen standing right in front of her. Slowly, a crimson blush crept up her face, along with a look of pure morbid horror. She almost looked like she was going to be sick.

"M-M-M-Mr. W-Walker! H-how long have you b-b-been here!"

"I was the one who hit you on the nose." Allen said apologetically. "Sorry about that."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE RIGHT THERE!" She sobbed, tears flooding her eyes, now.

"I tried! You wouldn't let me say anything! You were talking too fast!" Allen protested.

"Oh my God! I-I am so sorry you had to hear that! You probably think I'm a horrible person, now! Please don't tell Miss Lee I said any of that! I swear I don't have anything against her! I just…" But he didn't get to hear what she was, because after that she broke down sobbing, falling to her knees, not seeming to notice everyone around her, staring at both her and Allen. Quickly, noticing all of their stares, Allen helped Lou Fa stand up and pulled her into a spare room, where she could finish her nervous breakdown in relative peace. After a while, she stopped crying, and noticed that Allen was still sitting there next to her, waiting patiently for her to calm down.

"W-w-why are you b-being s-so nice to me M-Mr. Walker? Y-you don't owe me anything, a-and I'm not an Exorcist… A-and… I can't even be happy for you that you and Lenalee are t-together, now…" She said, still hardly able to keep her voice steady. Allen looked at her sympathetically.

"I guess… Maybe it was because you were so encouraging when I was trying to get my Innocence back. I had almost given up hope, but you being there to encourage me helped me face the Akuma, and reform it, because I knew there were people right in the Asian HQ that I wanted to protect. You risked your lives to drag me to safety. I couldn't let that go to waste."

"Mr. Walker! Miss Lee would be appalled if she heard you talking like this to me!"

"Ahaha! You think so? I don't. Whether male or female, Lenalee understands how important you all are to me, because you're all equally important to her. She told me once that her friends were her entire world, so losing a friend was like a piece of her world being destroyed. It made me think about how I'd feel if I lost someone else important to me. The pain I felt was unbelievable."

"Hey… Mr. Walker. I know this may be a little bit insensitive, but… Who is Mana?"

Allen's eyes widened at the mention of his adoptive father's name. It was one that nobody besides he had spoken for a long time. He had not had to hear that name in ages. Truth be told, he hadn't thought about that day in the snow for almost a year.

"H-he was… my adoptive father. I don't know who my birth parents were. But the first person I remember who ever cared about me was Mana. He taught me how to perform in the circus, and make a living. He let me travel with him, because he knew I had nowhere else to go. Then, he was hit by a rogue horse drawn carriage, and he died. That was the first time I met the Earl."

"M-Mr. Walker! No!" Lou Fa gasped.

"Yeah. I turned Mana into an Akuma. For a moment, I thought I was going to see him again. But then, when Mana cursed my name, I realized that the Earl had tricked me, I was so afraid I was going to die. But my Innocence activated, then, and destroyed Mana. I'm not sure whether I should be happy or depressed, though, that the Earl decided not to kill me."

Halfway through the story, Allen had sort of forgotten that Lou Fa was there, and had continued to talk, more to himself than to her. When she heard him say that last sentence, though, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"No! Mr. Walker! You have to be happy that you're still alive! If you weren't alive… The Order still needs you! I-_I_ still need you!" She said fiercely, looking more determined than ever. Allen looked at her, surprised at the enthusiasm with which she was speaking.

"Thank you, Lou Fa. Maybe…"

But before Allen could finish, the door opened, and Allen and Lou Fa saw Lenalee standing there, looking at them blankly. Allen was sure that he was going to be in huge trouble now, but Lenalee just smiled and said, "Nii-san says you two need to hurry up and move out."

"Wait! Lenalee! This isn't! I just…!" Allen sputtered running after her as she left, finally catching up to her, and slowing to walk at her speed breathing heavily now, partially from exertion, but partially from surprise.

"Lenalee! Lou Fa and I…"

"You don't have to explain. Half the Order overheard what happened. I think it's nice that you tried to help her. I don't know if you realize how strongly she feels about you. It probably meant a lot to her that you stayed to comfort her."

"Yeah… Sh-she already told me once how she felt. I hope I was tactful enough in turning her down… I wouldn't want to think that I hurt anyone's feelings.

"I'm sure you were fine, Allen-kun. I have to finish up this report, though, so you and Lou Fa should grab your new uniform and head out."

Lou Fa kept glancing nervously at Allen as they walked towards the town. They were unable to travel directly into town because of the uproar that it would cause, so instead, they were transported through the ark to a spot about two miles out in the countryside, where rolling hills and grasslands dominated the landscape for miles around, with occasional trees dotting the fields. The only road through the area was a simple dirt path, only wide enough for one carriage to travel through, and cutting across the field, and the road, underneath a simple wooden bridge was a small creek that gurgled loudly with the amount of rain that the area had gotten recently.

Although Lou Fa wanted badly to talk to Allen, to apologize for embarrassing him in front of Lenalee, and for putting him out like she did, she couldn't find the words to say, and so, the two walked on in what Lou Fa felt to be an extremely oppressive and awkward silence. Was Allen angry with her? She wondered. Allen occasionally noticed her staring at him, and tried to smile back at her, but found it difficult. It was a little bit unnerving to be aware of being stared at. Finally, the white haired exorcist gathered the courage and spoke.

"Are you alright, Lou Fa? You haven't said a word in over half an hour."

"I-I'm fine… I just… Haven't been outside in ages, since I was first brought to Asian HQ…"

"You were brought to Asian HQ? I always thought that you joined on your own." Allen replied, smiling in polite interest. Lou Fa blushed lightly and shook her head.

"Nope. It was back when I was thirteen. My parents were destroyed by an Akuma, but before it killed me, an Exorcist saved me. He brought me back to Asian HQ. I suspect he thought I would make a decent Finder. But they realized I had some talent for math and science, and put me in the R&D Department."

"Well, I'm glad they were able to save you. Look…" Allen said. "The town's right up ahead."

"Lou Fa looked up and saw that Allen was right. It was a pretty little town, built next to a large cliff to the east, and a river that would eventually intersect the creek that they had passed to the west. In the middle were smooth walled stone houses with thatched roofs. It seemed that the village never worried much about fortification because there was no protective wall around the outside of it. As Allen and Lou Fa walked into the village, they noticed that everyone there was wearing peasants' clothes, and seemed to be fairly old fashioned, and though there were many children, they were all much more subdued and serious than Allen would expect of ones their age.

They seemed to be drawing suspicious looks from the villagers, as they moved through the dirt streets, trying not to attract too much attention, but failing miserably, largely due to their strange clothes. After all, Lou Fa was still wearing her usual blouse and skirt with a lab coat, and Allen's exorcist uniform looked good on him, Lou Fa had to admit. It wasn't loose on him like his first jacket, but it was slightly longer than his last one, going down to his knees and bearing a resemblance to a military jacket with the loops on the shoulders and the high collar and a Marion Cross* on his left pocket. To these villagers, they must have looked very strange, indeed.

"Mr. Walker… They're all staring at us." Lou Fa whispered, leaning over to Allen, who smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure they're just not used to outsiders. And please call me Allen. Let's see. My Chinese is a little bit rusty." Allen said, thinking for a moment before his eyes lit up, and he turned to a man who looked like he might be a fisherman. "你好。 我們尋找bowmaker。"(Good afternoon. We are looking for the bowmaker.)**

"噢. 他在最後房子在右邊在這條街道。 但他是非常老和可能不會想要被打擾。" (Oh. He is in the last house on the right side of this street. However, he is very old, and will likely not want to be bothered.) The old man said, staring between Allen and Lou Fa, occasionally glancing at the scar on Allen's left cheek, narrowing his eyes suspiciously and turning away. Allen turned and smiled at Lou Fa, and started to walk again. Lou Fa continued to follow Allen.

"I didn't know you spoke Chinese, Mr… I mean… Allen!" Lou Fa said, amazed at how talented Allen was.

"Yeah. I speak a little bit. I had to learn a lot of languages when I was travelling with my master. I'm pretty sure the only country I never went to was Japan."

"Really? Why not?" Lou Fa asked blankly. Allen smiled. "Master never told me. But now I know it was because the Earl's base was in Japan, in Edo."

"Oh. So you don't know Japanese?"

"Nope. Not a word of it." Allen said with a good natured laugh, causing Lou Fa to laugh as well as they approached the end of the road, which merged into the cliffside, along with a huge estate that seemed quite out of place with the rest of the village. Allen went to the front gate and rang the huge bell that was there."

"So… D-do we go in, now?" Lou Fa asked uncertainly.

"No. We wait. This is more than just a house. This place is a monastery for Zen Archers. The head monk will come and open the gate when he feels we are ready to enter."

"So we just wait?"

"Yep. Pretty much. Guess I'll take a nap. It's such a nice day, and so warm, but the ground isn't wet at all, despite the rain." Allen said, sitting down on a rock and leaning back against the sturdy stone wall, yawning and closing his eyes.

By the time anyone came out to call on Allen and Lou Fa, the sun was setting, and the sky had been dyed blood red with the hue of the evening sun, the clouds a deep gray/purple, and outlined like fire. The sky to the east was a deep violet color, and the first stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. Allen could even see the moon, now, in the North sky, a waxing crescent, barely yet a sliver in the night, for the new moon had just passed nights before.

"Greetings, foreign monks. Welcome to our monastery…" The monk said with a heavy accent, although his English was pretty good. Allen debated whether he should speak Chinese, or let the monks speak English. He eventually decided that their English was probably better than his Chinese, and so, he decided on the latter option.

"Thank you for having us." Allen said politely, bowing to the old man. Lou Fa jumped at this, and also bowed.

"Ah, is she your disciple? She does not look like any monk I have ever met, although her features are reminiscent of China." The monk said curiously, adjusting his glasses and leaning in to get a closer look at Lou Fa, who felt very much as though her personal space was being violated. It wasn't that she disliked him. It was more that she felt like she was being inspected for any imperfections, maybe in her soul? Would the monk find any? Would he not allow her in?

"Ah. No. I'm not a monk in that sense…" Allen said sheepishly. "I'm an Exorcist with the Dark Order. This is Lou Fa. She's a scientist with Main HQ. Our chief asked me to take her with me to do some tests… I think."

"I see. Well. Come with me, I was told you would want to see the mysterious bow that nobody can seem to use."

"Yes. That is why we're here. Thank you very much." Allen replied, following the man inside, and waiting for him to close the gate. The monk then picked up the lantern again and led the way down the stone path and into the huge monastery that seemed to recede back inside the cliff, rather than remain in the building. As they got into the building, Allen noticed that everything was dimly lit, illuminated by only a few occasional torches, which cast a flickering light over the floor, causing the shadows of objects to be elongated and appear to be dancing, almost animate. The effect was rather creepy, and unsettling, but Allen followed the monk through the myriad halls and tunnels until they got to the final chamber that appeared to be not only far back into the cliff, but also deep below ground, judging by the number of stairs that they had to go down to reach it. In this chamber, the walls and floor were slick with moisture and subterranean growth, and in the distance, an underground river flowed rapidly. Unlike most of the other rooms, this one was well lit, with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and torches all along the walls.

Allen went to the center of the room and started to pick up the bow, but Lou Fa hurried over and stopped him.

"D-do you think I could carry it, Mr… I-I mean… Allen?"

"Gee, Lou Fa… I don't know. Komui said the bow backfired on people, killing them."

"That's only if they fire it! Besides, you've been carrying all the bags. The least I can do is carry the bow."

"Okay. Thank you, Lou Fa." Allen said with a smile, as Lou Fa reached for the bow. As her fingers closed around the bow, and she pulled her hand back, though, the bow started to glow, and shake. Allen gasped, and shoved Lou Fa, who was so shocked that she didn't let go.

"Throw it, Lou Fa! Throw it!" Allen yelled. Lou Fa tossed it as hard as she could, but as she did, the bow curved back around and flew back into her hand, which she closed around it. As she did this, an energy arrow was fired from the bow, destroying one of the torches in a flurry of sparks. Allen gaped at Lou Fa.

"C-could it be? Are you an accommodator, Lou Fa?"

"N-no! It isn't possible! I'm just a scientist, j-just some lab geek!" Lou Fa protested, waving her arms around. "I-I couldn't possibly be important enough t-to be an exorcist!"

"Lou Fa, your problem isn't strength, or talent. Your problem is confidence. It was my problem, too. My Innocence wouldn't evolve, if you'll remember, until I could confidently say why I was fighting. For Lenalee, it was the same. Ask her sometime to tell you what happened."

"Allen…" Lou Fa whispered, her eyes sparkling brightly. "You're really amazing. I-I just hope I can keep up with you and Miss Lee."

"Amazing?" Allen laughed sheepishly. "Are you sure you're not confusing me with someone else? I failed the whole Order in our last battle. We lost an Exorcist, and all of the Akuma/Human hybrids because of my failure…" Allen said, suddenly depressed. He hadn't thought about Kanda in ages, but now, almost half a year later, the memory of that man was bringing up depressing and miserable thoughts again. Thoughts of loss, failure, and tragedy. Lenalee never said anything about it, but what if she blamed him for that, too? What about Lavi? Did he blame him? Miranda? Krory? Komui? What if the whole Order secretly felt it was Allen's fault? Did they hate him for it? With that, thought, Allen groaned and shook his head, turning away from Lou Fa and trudging back up the stairs before she could respond to his comment. For a moment, Lou Fa just stood there, but then ran after Allen, to try and convince him somehow that he couldn't possibly have been to blame for what happened.

*A Marian Cross is an informal name for the symbol of the Catholic Church, and General Cross's namesake.

**Please forgive the horrible translation into Chinese. I used a free internet translation site, and, as we all know, they are rarely all that accurate.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"So, Allen, you're saying that Lou Fa, the scientist we just so happened to send with you to get this Innocence, happened to be the accommodator for it all along?" Komui said, raising an eyebrow at Allen, who refused to look at Komui. This fact didn't escape the science chief's notice, who kept talking in the hopes that Allen would look up at least once. It was kind of strange to see the boy acting so melancholy.

Allen nodded, although he still refused to look at the chief, and Lou Fa, who looked extremely worried about Allen, was holding the Innocence, and glancing around as if trying to find something that would help. When she could find nothing, she instead put a hand on Allen's shoulder, hoping that maybe it would help. She was wrong. Allen merely shrugged her hand off, and looked up at Komui briefly, his now mismatched eyes dull, lacking the sparkle that they usually held in them.

"Well…" Komui sighed, shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip of his coffee. "I've certainly heard of stranger things happening where Innocence is concerned. Let's take her down to Hevlaska and have her Innocence checked for synchronization rate. Allen, you're free to go. Perhaps you should consider getting some rest."

Allen flopped down on his bed, face down in the pillow. His conversation with Lou Fa had really brought up some nasty memories. He knew that by all rights, he should feel fine. But it was a little embarrassing to know how misguided her opinion of him was.

_You're really amazing…_

She had said that to him so honestly. Her eyes had been positively alight with admiration that he didn't feel he deserved, that he never felt that he deserved. He had been cursed his entire life, even before he got that scar. He was abandoned by his parents, was responsible for the death of Allen (his dog), Mana died protecting him, and then he added insult to injury by bringing him back as an Akuma. He got that curse scar from Mana, he got stuck with the worst master alive, he couldn't save his friend in India. No matter how many Akuma he slew, it was never enough, he could never even come close to destroying all of them, and Kanda's death, and those of the other Third Exorcists was entirely his fault. It was like everyone around him was doomed. And now, he had gone and dragged Lenalee into his cursed world by becoming involved with her.

Just as he started thinking about Lenalee, though, there was a knock on the door. Allen looked up, but didn't say anything for a moment. There wasn't anything he really wanted to say to anyone, except maybe to apologize. The knocking was persistent, though, and after a few times, he sighed and answered, telling them to come in.

Lenalee smiled gently as she walked in, and sat down next to Allen, putting a hand around his shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. Allen didn't move, but also didn't resist her pull.

"Allen-kun… You've been acting strange ever since you got back. Lou Fa's noticed it, too. She's worried about you. I'm worried about you, too."

"You shouldn't waste your time worrying. It'll only cause you trouble. I've been cursed from the start. And everyone close to me is doomed to share my curse."

"What are you talking about? I worry about you _because_ of your curse. You're so devoted to this cause that I'm afraid that the Earl will kill you, but you'll be so embroiled in the battle that you won't even realize you're dead!"

"Ahaha…" Allen laughed, smiling weakly. "That would be good. Maybe I'd be able to finish my mission before my time is finally up, then."

"You see! You're not even concerned about your own life! Do you not care if you die! Does your own life mean nothing to you! You're so kind and considerate of everyone else, but when it comes to yourself, you only stop long enough to eat and sleep!" Lenalee cried, gripping Allen tightly and shaking him vigorously.

"Why should my life mean anything? If my death can achieve the downfall of the Earl, then I'd be able to rest in peace."

"But why is that all you want out of life! What about a life outside of this godforsaken war! I love you, Allen-kun! But I hate it when you're like this! It's impossible to reason with you, and how can anyone else help you if you won't even help yourself!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lenalee…" Allen said weakly.

"Allen-kun! Please don't apologize, I'm not angry at you! I just… want to know how I can help you.

"Lenalee? D-do you think Kanda's death was my fault?"

"What! Is _that_ what you're so upset about! Allen-kun, nobody at the Order blames you for Kanda's death!"

"Rouvellier does. He locked me up for it for a while." Allen said glumly. Hearing this, Lenalee looked sharply at him and took his cheek in her hand, forcing him to look at her.

"Listen, Allen-kun! It doesn't matter what Rouvellier, or Link, or anyone says! It wasn't your fault! You did the best you could. I'm sure Kanda wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself, either. Why don't we go to my room? If I remember correctly, Cross's spellbook is still there."

"Okay. You'd better not let Komui see us going into your room together, though. He'd go totally mental on me." Allen said amiably, putting on a smile for Lenalee. He still wasn't happy, but, at least he felt a little bit better.

"Lavi seemed happy that Lou Fa was back… I think he may really be falling for her. It'd be nice if that was true."

"You mean because he'd stop being so smitten with you?"

"What makes you say that?" Lenalee asked with a naïve smile. Allen shook his head, although he couldn't honestly claim that he was any better. He hadn't noticed Lou Fa's feelings for him. He felt bad about that, now.

"As smart as you are, Lenalee, you sure are clueless. Half the people in the Order like you to one degree or another… I think even Kanda…"

"Hmm… Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked playfully. Allen laughed at this. "Not at all. I'm not even surprised. You're such a kind and beautiful person, it's a little bit hard not to fall for you." He continued, putting a hand behind his head. At this compliment, Lenalee blushed heavily.

"Allen-kun! Please don't talk like that in public! It's so embarrassing!"

"Oh, speaking of embarrassing, Lavi, it isn't polite to spy on people…" Allen called offhandedly, after which Lavi came out, his head hung in defeat, Lou Fa trailing after him.

"L-Lavi! Lou Fa!" Lenalee asked, covering her mouth in horror, and blushing furiously.

"How much of our conversation did you hear!"

"Ever since you started talking about Lou Fa and me…" Lavi said with a nervous laugh. At the mention of this, Lou Fa blushed lightly, and shrunk away. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to take this. She had never had anyone like her before… Or, if they did, she didn't know about it.

"So… why were you spying on us, anyhow?" Lenalee asked, regaining her composure, now seeming quite annoyed.

"Lou Fa was worried about Allen, although now I see that she needn't have been. He looks better than ever."

"Y-yeah…" Allen said, laughing weakly. "B-better than ever…" he mirrored, not wanting to show how he was really feeling. "Speaking of which, how well synchronized did Hevlaska say you were with your Innocence, Lou Fa?" Allen asked, smiling politely again. At his question, Lou Fa's back went stiff, and she answered rather mechanically and quickly.

"O-oh! Yes! She said that I was at 52%!"

As if on cue, Lavi's stomach growled, and he smiled apologetically at everyone, running off. Lou Fa then waved goodbye and took off after him.

As soon as the two got to Lenalee's room, Lenalee walked in the door first, in case her brother had set any traps, although she didn't imagine that they would spring for just anyone. And sure enough, as soon as Allen walked past the threshold, a rope bound his ankles and dragged him up to hang in the doorway, and a razor sharp guillotine-like blade came out of either side, both of which Allen managed to dodge, but just barely, by doing a sit-up and cutting the rope with his Edge, and falling to the ground, at which point the blades came back out exactly at neck level, which Allen ducked under and grabbed the one blade with his edge, and trapped the other one with his Clown Belt, shattering them both, but not before one of them slashed his arm clean off, causing him to gasp in agony as crimson blood splattered on the floor and on Lenalee's clothes and face from the force of the blade. At this moment, Lenalee gasped as well. That blade had been really been moving fast enough to cut Allen's head off. It was bad enough that Allen had lost his arm. The thought of this made Lenalee want to throw up. There was so much blood, soaking into Allen's Innocence and his uniform. Somehow, although the uniform was supposed to protect against such attacks, the blade had gone right through it. Maybe the blade was so thin and razor sharp that the nanomachines weren't able to stop it.

"I-I think your brother might really want to kill me!" Allen said nervously, still breathing heavily, and holding his hand to the bloody stump where his right arm had formerly been, although it was rapidly healing over due to his regenerative abilities. As soon as he finished his thought, though, Komui came running and grabbed Allen roughly, shaking him violently.

"You were going to defile my sweet, and innocent Lenalee, weren't you, you nasty, nasty squid! Darling Lenalee-chan! Big brother will never let anyone lay a hand on you!" He sobbed insanely. Lenalee could feel her face heating up as everyone in the Order turned to watch Komui having a hissy fit.

"Nii-san! You could have killed him!" Lenalee cried. "Why do you always have to do this to me!"

"But Allen…"

"I _invited_ him in!" Lenalee shrieked, outraged that her brother had finally gone too far. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if he never wants anything to do with me again! Whenever he actually wakes up, that is!" She cried, pointing at Allen, who, it seemed, had finally succumbed to the shock and fainted.

"I just don't want anyone t-to hurt you…" Komui complained.

"So you try to have them _decapitated_! You nearly_ killed_ him!" she yelled, waving her arms frantically now, nearly in tears, herself. "You've crossed the line this time, Nii-san! Just go away! I-I can't even talk to you right now!"

"But…"

"GO AWAY!" she screamed, with such finality that Komui finally backed off and slouched away, looking both miserable and disturbed. Lenalee was only thinking about Allen right now, though, who, it seemed, was awake finally.

"Allen-kun! I-I'm so sorry about my brother! I really never thought he would do something so insane! B-b-but, your arm!"

"Don't worry about my arm."

"W-what do you mean, don't worry! What can I do _but_ worry! It's been cut off!"

"Look at the place where my arm used to be… Do you see a little piece of bone sticking out, and flesh growing back?"

"Y-yes. I assumed that the arm was just poorly cut, though."

"No. It was cut almost perfectly. My arm will grow back if you give it three days, maybe. Looks like I'll have plenty of time to recover after reading that book, eh?" Allen asked, laughing at his predicament. It was all he could think of to do at the moment. Seeing the look on Lenalee's face, though, his smile faded.

"Lenalee, you have some blood on your face. Don't tell me you got cut as well?" Allen asked, horrified that Lenalee could have gotten hurt by her own brother's infernal contraption.

"N-no! I-it's your blood, Allen-kun. The blades were fast, they caused the blood to splatter a little bit."

"Oh. That's a relief…"

"It most certainly is _not_ a relief!" Lenalee said indignantly, huffing angrily. Allen just laughed at this.

"You're really cute when you're angry…" He said, his face lit up by his radiant smile, despite the fact that his arm was lying a few feet away from him, and he was undoubtedly still in at least a little bit of pain. Seeing his smile, Lenalee found that she couldn't be angry at him anymore. Back when he first came to the Order, he would still smile, but they were so cold and perfunctory, almost like he was never happy. But now, when he smiled, he seemed so happy that it was hard to stay annoyed at him, no matter what he did.

At that moment, Lavi came over and knelt down next to Lenalee, smiling apologetically. He had known that the trap was there, but he never really thought that Allen would have any reason to go into Lenalee's room. If they were going to sleep together, they could just as easily do it in Allen's room. So he didn't say anything.

After Lavi, Lou Fa came running over toward Allen and practically slid over to him with her smooth soled shoes.

"Mr. Walker! Are you alright!" She cried, looking between him and his arm. She noticed that already the uniform was starting to repair itself, the sleeve regrowing and hanging down, despite the fact that there was no arm in it. Allen smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course. It's just an arm. It will grow back. It's not like I lost my head. Apparently, that won't grow back, regardless of my regeneration."

"Regeneration? Oh, right! Of course! Your arm probably isn't even bleeding anymore, is it!"

"Nope. Everything is fine. As long as nobody cauterizes the end of a limb with some pretty strong fire, that limb will grow back in a few days." Allen said, laughing at the idea of sealing his arm with fire. Lou Fa only looked queasy, though. She had never had a strong stomach, and the thought of someone actually taking a blowtorch to Allen's severed arm was at once horrifying and sickening to her. In fact, moments later, she turned and grabbed a plastic bag, throwing up into it.

"Uggh… There goes my lunch, she groaned, staying over the bag as her stomach began to retch again and she threw up once more, this time even more painfully. Allen reached out and pulled her ponytails out of the way as she hurled one more time and finally sat up. Allen smiled weakly, handing her a handkerchief, with which she wiped her mouth and her blouse, and then attempted to hand it back, perhaps not thinking.

"Um… You can keep it. Are you alright, Lou Fa?" Allen asked.

"Y-yeah. Blood just makes me a-a little bit queasy. E-ever since I was young, blood has been my one big phobia. I don't even need to see it. All I need is to smell blood and I get sick. That's why I don't think I'm suited to be an Exorcist! I'd just be in everyone's way, Mr. Walker! Please ask them not to make me an Exorcist! I don't think I could stand it!"

"Well, I could try, but I won't. I've said it before. Your problem isn't talent. You have plenty of it. Your problem is confidence. Try talking to Miranda. I'm sure she'll be able to help you…" Allen said with a laugh, thinking about Miranda, having wished that 'tomorrow would never come' after she'd been fired from her 100th job and drunk herself halfway into oblivion. The number of Exorcists was decreasing, with the Noah attacks, and when Lou Fa did a search on all the Exorcists, there were only 9 left. Who could win a war with so few soldiers, especially when a third of them were Generals, anyhow?

"Hey, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked, offering Allen a hand, which he took and stood up, looking into Lenalee's violet eyes with his own mismatched eyes.

"Do you still want to come into my room, Allen-kun?"

"Sure. I suppose there's no harm in… Watch out!" Allen shouted, shoving Lenalee violently into the room and then jumping over the blades himself as two more blades came out of the sides of the door.

_Damn! Komui really put everything he had into this trap. Let's see. There's a pin right here, and right here… If I bend this spring to prevent this blade from moving again, and remove these sensors, it should disable the trap…_

Allen fiddled for a few more moments with the mechanisms of the trap, and then passed through the door to make sure that it was safe before turning to Lenalee and smiling, and walking back in.

"There. The trap should be useless now, although, I don't know what else Komui may have up his sleeve." Allen said, picking up the book off the shelf, and putting it on the desk in the corner, before waiting for Lenalee to join him. Together, then, they opened the book, and saw an arcane seal, which slowly began to glow, getting brighter and brighter until it looked like a miniature sun, and the book's pages began to ripple around like they were in a decent wind, coursing through the entire book in a matter of moments. Allen and Lenalee could feel the arcane knowledge downloading into their minds. Unfortunately, it seemed to shut out any sensation about the rest of the world, filling their entire bodies with a tingling sensation, similar to being shocked. Faster and faster, spells, theory, and other miscellaneous knowledge flew into their minds through the seal, causing their thoughts to become little more than a blur. They would not have been able to fight now, or even notice anyone coming in.

After the three hours or so that Cross predicted, the book sped up to unbelievable speeds, and the power of the burst of energy blasted Allen and Lenalee back, causing them to fly into opposite walls. As Allen's back hit the wall, he grunted before sliding down to the floor and landing with a gasp. Slowly, he took a deep breath, and tried to focus himself, but found that his thoughts were all blurred together. It had been such an intense process that he wasn't able to recenter his mind. Lenalee seemed to be having the same problem, since, when she stood up, she wavered on the spot for a moment before clumsily making her way to the door and trying to walk out. Allen stopped her, though, and helped her back to her chair. It was a little strange to see her like this, her eyes glazed over and her face slightly vacant. It was like she was drugged or drunk. Of course, Allen didn't feel much better, so he didn't really have any place talking.

After helping her into her seat, Allen walked over to the bed and sat down, leaning against the wall and sighing in relief. It had seemed as though simply walking over to the bed had been serious exertion. Now that some time had elapsed, though, he realized that he knew the spell that Cross had used to bind Grave of Maria to him. It was different than the spell that would be used to bind Judgment, given that Grave of Maria was a person, and Judgment was an equip type Innocence.

After what could have been minutes, or hours, Allen was feeling better, and decided to go get something to eat. He invited Lenalee to come with him, but she declined, saying she was still feeling a bit off. So Allen walked out of the room, fortunately not having to dodge Komui's trap again, although he had been prepared to do so, and headed down to the dining hall, where he saw Lavi and Lou Fa still talking animatedly with each other. They seemed to be having a good time on their own, so he decided not to bother them. Instead, he went over to Jerry and ordered one of each of the specials, of which there were 26, and one of each of the side plates, of which there were 30, along with 5 orders of Mitarashi Dango.

"You know, I have never seen anyone eat like you, Allen-chan!" Jerry exclaimed joyfully, blowing Allen a kiss and setting to work immediately on Allen's dinner, which he finished in a matter of five minutes, in keeping with his usual cooking prowess, and gave it to Allen, who carefully made his way over to sit down next to Krory, who greeted Allen cheerfully.

"Hi, Krory. Hi Miranda. Hi Timothy, how are you?"

"You look a little bit pale, Allen…" Miranda said, leaning over and putting a hand to Allen's forehead, knocking one of his plates of food to the ground, causing it to shatter, and spill his dango everywhere.

"Aaaaagh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Miranda wailed loudly. "I'll go get you some more!"

"No!" Allen said, perhaps a little too emphatically. He covered for it, though. "It's alright. It's only one plate. I've still got 60 more." For emphasis, Allen grabbed his fork and started eating, reducing the tray to nothing but bowls, and plates in a matter of fifteen minutes. Just as Allen finished eating, Lou Fa walked over and went behind Miranda.

"C-can I talk to you f-for a moment, Miss Lotto?" Lou Fa whispered nervously. Miranda smiled politely at her and nodded, standing up and following Lou Fa out of the dining hall, having actually finished eating a while ago.

"M-Miss Lotto… What did you do before you became a-an exorcist?"

"Huh? Well, I didn't really have a job. October 27th, I got fired from my hundredth job, and I was considering killing myself. I got badly drunk that night, though and made a wish next to my clock that the next day would never come, and so, the clock, which contained my Innocence, caused October 27th to repeat itself 31 times. Then, Allen and Lenalee came and figured out why it was happening and invited me to join the Order."

"Oh. So, what happened that you got fired so many times?" Lou Fa asked conversationally. The thought seemed to depress Miranda, though.

"I'm the unluckiest person in the world. If there was a nail sticking up, I'd trip on it. If there was a glass door, I'd run into it. If there was a piece of metal sticking out, I'd cut myself on it. The kids in my village made up a song about me. 'Miranda, Miranda, she's all bad luck… Full of doom, full of gloom… What a dumb and ugly duck. Trying to get a job again? Who cares, you'll just get chucked.' The only talent I had was a complete lack of talent. Why do you ask?" Miranda asked, smiling weakly at Lou Fa. Upon hearing this, Lou Fa suddenly felt that her lack of confidence seemed like nothing next to Miranda, fired 100 times, considering suicide.

"O-oh… I-it's nothing…" Lou Fa said quietly, turning away, feeling bad, now for bringing up bad memories.

"No. Please tell me. If I can help you, I'd like to try, at least."

"Well… I just found out I'm an accommodator for an Innocence. But I just don't think I can do it. I'm not meant to be an exorcist. What if they start my training, and it goes wrong, and they tell me that it was a mistake, that the Innocence wasn't mine after all? Mr. Walker was really happy that I was an accommodator, and he's so certain that I can succeed. I don't want to disappoint him, but I think he thinks I can do more than I really can."

"Oh. I'm not really the person to talk to about confidence. But as far as the Innocence being yours, if it wasn't, and you tried to invoke it, anyhow, you wouldn't still be alive. I've seen how Innocence reacts to non-accommodators. Have you ever heard of Fallen Ones?"

"O-only in passing. I know that Mr. Walker fought one once. But other than that, no."

"Well, when a former accommodator's synch rate falls below 10%, or if a non-accommodator tries to invoke Innocence, it will turn on them, and destroy them. This is especially true of Parasite type Innocence, which is naturally very closely bonded with the user. But the Innocence reacted to you, just like my Innocence reacted to me. Perhaps when you touched the Innocence, you wished that you could be stronger, or that you were able to do more."

"No. I wished that I would someday be able to be worth Mr. Walker's time. So I asked if I could carry the Innocence for him. I wanted to at least be able to do that. Then the Innocence started to glow and Mr. Walker told me to throw it, so I did. I was terrified, but then the bow flew around and went right back into my hand. I thought, surely there must have been a mistake. It… It just isn't possible that I could be so important." Lou Fa finished, flushing a light pink color. Ever since she first met Allen, it had been her secret desire to become an accommodator. However, she was also always certain that no Innocence would ever choose someone as useless and weak as she. So, she satisfied herself by saying that one day, she would at least get to travel to Main HQ and work there with their amazing technology, and be able to see Allen every day. But now she wasn't even sure if she felt like that about Allen anymore. She didn't get that same lightheaded, fluttery feeling when he passed by, or that feeling like she was going to faint when he smiled at her, one of his amazing, radiant smiles that seemed to light up the entire room.

And what was more, she seemed to enjoy spending more and more time with Lavi, who was actually a really nice person, despite his tendency to occasionally be a little bit immature, and his singular ability to say the rudest and most embarrassing thing possible at the worst possible moment. Maybe that was what she liked about him so much, though… But she was sure that Lavi wouldn't want her either. He was a lot like Allen. Strong and handsome, and confident. How would she look next to him, anyhow? Now that she was an exorcist, though, maybe she would have a chance.

Before she could think anymore, though, Rikei called her name loudly, and she turned around, seeing her two scientist friends running up to her.

"Lou Fa! We just finished with your new Exorcist uniform!" Rikei said excitedly, holding up a black uniform with silver trim that looked almost exactly like the science department coat that she was wearing, except that it had the silver Black Order cross on it, and had silver buttons going up the front, along with black stockings for her to wear, that were made of the same material as the coat.

"Wow! So… So you know about me being an exorcist, now?" Lou Fa asked nervously. She was afraid that they would feel like she betrayed them, or that she had turned her back on them somehow.

"Yeah. We're really excited for you. The whole department is. This is the first time in ages that someone from the Science Department has become an accommodator. Apparently, the Vatican is increasing our budget, now, and we're going to get some new scientists, new equipment, and everything." Rikei said excitedly, grabbing Lou Fa's hands, but letting go when he saw that she was starting to cry.

"Lou Fa? What's wrong? Did you ask Walker out and get rejected again or something?"

"I-I'm gonna miss you guys! We've been together for years, and you're the only family I know! I-it's gonna be really lonely without you!" She sobbed, hugging Rikei and Shifu tightly, causing Shifu to sweatdrop and Rikei to blush heavily.

"Hey, hey! We'll still see each other! It's not like we're going anywhere. We'll just have different jobs from now on, and you know you're always welcome in the R&D Department…"

"Th-thanks, guys." Lou Fa sniffed, letting go of her two friends, and standing back. She looked over at Miranda, but she had already left, which surprised Lou Fa. She was sure that she would have heard the woman leaving, but she decided not to say anything, and smiled, instead, at Rikei and Shifu, and then took her new uniform, bowing in thanks and walking off, humming happily.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"Who are you?" Sokaro growled hatefully, calling his Innocence back to him. The sword flew around in a high arc and then swiftly moved back into Sokaro's hand, still spinning rapidly.

"Oh… How frightfully rude of me." The Noah said apologetically. "My name is Ergo. I am the Music of Noah. My ability is Hymn. I can create music that can affect the brain, overloading it to such a degree that it literally shuts down. It takes time to do this with any degree of efficiency against an Innocence user, especially one of your caliber, but, given the chance to play uninterrupted, I could turn anyone's brain to slurry, and watch it dribble out their ears. I, of course, am immune to the effect."

"I don't need to know your abilities. I'll be killing you today, anyhow. I never had much taste for music, anyhow."

"It will be I who will kill you, General. Do not fear, though. I will compose a suitable funeral dirge to mourn your death." Ergo said quietly, dodging the general's next attack, and returning to playing his violin, even as he was moving. Even though Sokaro covered his ears, though, he could still hear the music, a melody of haunting beauty. He hated that kind of music. It had never been his thing, he wasn't good at music. He was good at killing, though, so he moved toward Ergo, and tried to cut him with his Innocence, but found that as he got closer, the music got louder, and eventually, he could no longer concentrate, and he fell to the ground, writhing in agony as the dirge grew to an earsplitting volume, and he felt his head beginning to burn and to feel as though it were on fire.

Screaming in agony, Winters growled and tried to block out the music, but eventually fell to the ground, dead, and Ergo watched as his brain actually trickled out his ears, eyes and nose, along with massive amounts of blood.

"Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow. Let me see, the Earl ordered me to destroy Innocence, correct?"

With this thought, Ergo hefted the sword into his hands and used his power to destroy it. Dark Matter flashed with dark efficiency, and the sword shattered, then the Innocence was crushed in Ergo's hand, and he scattered its ashes, looking down disdainfully at Winters.

"With such weak generals, it seems destroying the Order will be easier than I thought."

"Yes. Yes, I understand. Thank you. Bye." Komui said, not bothering, this time, to pretend talking on the phone longer than was necessary to avoid work. This was work that was urgent, and critical… And frightening.

"What is it, Komui-san?" Allen asked curiously, still glancing down every now and again at his arm, which was completely reformed, save for the hand, although it was reforming more quickly than Allen had expected.

"Ah, Allen, I'm glad you're here… For two reasons, I guess. One is to apologize to you for severing your arm, though it seems as though Lenalee is still angry at me for that. The other is to tell you that you are being made a General, along with Lenalee. As you are the only two exorcists in the entire organization who have reached 100% synchronization with your respective Innocence, and are arguably the most powerful exorcists we have, it has been decided by the Vatican that you will be promoted on Thursday of next week. You will receive your new uniform then. Congratulations."

"W-why so suddenly? I-I understand the need for higher officers, but I'm only sixteen. I'm not sure if I'm really qualified to be a general."

"Well, the problem is that we have now lost two generals. The first one, of course, was Yeegar. You know about that. The second, though, was more recent, in fact, only yesterday, and that was General Winters Sokaro. He was killed by a Noah, and his Innocence was reported destroyed. And since Cross also disappeared, we now only have two generals. You can see our problem."

"Yes. I'm honored that the Vatican considers me a worthy candidate." Allen said, trying to smile. Before he could turn to leave, though, he saw the man sitting in the corner.

"Let me assure you, Walker. I still don't trust you. Although you may have the Vatican, and all your friends at the Order convinced of your innocence, I'm still suspicious. Watch your step. Even a single toe out of line will result in serious consequences, especially as a general, who should be a role model for others." Rouvellier said coldly, striding out of the room with Link in tow.

"Have you told Lenalee, yet?" Allen asked. Upon hearing her name, Komui sighed, and shook his head.

"No. I still am not sure that she wants to talk to me. I really messed up this time. Allen…" Komui said, his eyes not possessing the same excited, slightly mad gleam that they usually did. "I'm worried that you're going to take Lenalee away from me. You see, after Lenalee was taken away from me, she became deeply depressed, and even tried to commit suicide a few times. They had to strap her down to keep her safe. So finally, I came to the Order and joined so that I could be around her. I just wanted her to smile again. So if I seem slightly eccentric, or over protective, that's why. I just don't want her to be hurt again."

"Well, I'll admit, I did always think you were a little bit odd. But, I admired your loyalty to Lenalee, even when you were trying to have me killed…" Allen said, a vein pulsing in his temple as he remembered Komlins 1-4, and how all of them had tried to somehow maim him on at least one occasion.

"Besides, even if Lenalee does move far away some day, you'll never really be lost to her, as long as she still keeps her memories of you. You should talk to her. What can you lose?"

"Well, anyway, that's all I had to say. Good luck being a general."

"Allen Walker, come forward to accept your new Exorcist uniform." The Head General said loudly and clearly. Allen bowed and walked over to the head general, who handed him a jacket that looked similar to his old one, but with gold trim and buttons on it instead. Allen then bowed and removed his old jacket, and put on the new one, buttoning it, and walking off to allow Lenalee to step up. For her, it had been even more unexpected that she became a General. She had been sure that her brother would protest the decision, given the danger level of the task. Generals had various duties to perform, including finding new accommodators for Innocence, carrying around relatively large quantities of Innocence, and taking on Akuma that no other exorcist could handle. That included level 4 and 5 Akuma, although now that Allen and Lenalee knew magic, perhaps those jobs would be slightly easier, although Allen suspected that they would never be easy, per se.

Allen watched and tried to smile as Lenalee took her smaller and snugger jacket and put it on, but couldn't seem to make himself do so. He was worried about her. Of course, he was always worried about her. But now, more than ever. His dreams had been intensifying, and the horror that Lenalee would experience in them was increasing with each new visit. Now, seeing her being brutally and sadistically tortured before they destroyed her Innocence in the most agonizingly painful manner possible was not uncommon. These dreams haunted Allen, even in the waking world, and now, he was having trouble even looking Lenalee in the eye when he saw her. It seemed as though it was getting harder and harder to have a normal conversation with her, because every time he tried, he saw her beaten and bloody, screaming in terror and agony, tears streaming down her face, except they weren't normal tears. She was crying tears of blood, and when she screamed, the Earl and the Noah would laugh, and redouble her torment in an eternal cycle of pain, misery and bloodshed, and then finally, when she broke completely, and she was literally begging them to kill her, they destroyed her Innocence slowly and torturously, and then ripped her heart out of her chest, and in the split second before she died, Allen would wake up, drenched in an ice cold sweat, a heavy lump in his throat, like a lead weight that he couldn't swallow, and which refused to allow him to breathe normally or scream as he so desperately wanted to do. He would be crying, but no sound came out, so he got no satisfaction from doing so. It was as though his own body was conspiring against him, torturing him quite as hideously as the Noah in his dreams were torturing Lenalee.

Suddenly, Allen felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jerked around, and felt his Innocence hand connect hard with soft flesh. He heard a yelp of pain and when he finally came to, he saw Lenalee lying on the ground, rubbing her jaw.

"Lenalee! I-I am so sorry! Oh my God! How could I have done that?" Allen started ranting, nearly forgetting that Lenalee was even there. Now, he was pacing back and forth, muttering madly to himself, berating himself for hurting her like that.

"Allen-kun! Stop!" Lenalee said forcefully, grabbing Allen's shoulders and holding him in place long enough for her to look at him more closely.

"Allen, you look horrible. You were standing there, looking like you had just seen the end of the world. I've been calling your name for five minutes, trying to get your attention."

"S-sorry. E-excuse me… I have t-to go…"

"Allen-kun! Wait!" Lenalee pleaded, grabbing Allen's shoulder again and turning him around, pulling him into a tight embrace, holding the back of his head close to hers, and putting her other hand on his back.

"Allen…" She whispered in his ear. He could hear the urgency in her voice, the desperation. "I'm worried about you. There's something you aren't telling me, and I worry that the Allen that I know is going to disappear… That you'll be replaced by some melancholy, soulless shell of a person whose fate is even worse than that of an Akuma. Please don't become that, Allen-kun." She begged.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. It was just a bad dream." Allen replied apologetically, smiling at Lenalee. Lenalee scowled back at Allen, and turned away for a moment. She was sure that there was more to Allen's "dreams" than he was telling her. However, she wasn't going to try to force the truth out of him. Instead, she sighed and looked away from Allen again and walked off, leaving Allen feeling guilty.

Down at the dining hall, Allen hardly had any appetite, well, for him, anyhow. He still was eating enough for several people. However, as he did that, he couldn't stop thinking about his dreams. Were they an omen of the future? Were they visions of the things that _would be_, or the things that _might be_ if they didn't change the course of events. According to the Earl's research that they had stolen, the Noah family was prophesized to be complete soon, and that would spell utter destruction for the Order, because once the Noah Clan was complete, then their power would increase due to the massive influx of Dark Matter. Apparently, Road had stalled this inevitable event by allowing herself to be killed. However, it would still come to pass, and the Earl would be more powerful. Despite all the power that they would have upon completion of that goal, it would seem as nothing next to the power that the Clan would gain upon the night when a lunar eclipse coincided with Lunar Perigee and the full moon. It was a once in a lifetime event that only happened once every 10,000 years, maybe, and it was going to be coming in a year, which meant that the Exorcists had to redouble their efforts to destroy the Earl.

Allen finished his dinner and stood up in a rather stiff and mechanical fashion and walked off without a word to go back to his room. Once there, he did his usual set of exercises, and then went to bed.

_ Lenalee watched from above as Allen sat, paralyzed with fear and loathing before the Noah who were sitting on what looked like thrones. The Earl was wearing an ornate crown, and royal garments, and the Noah were all wearing similarly lavish clothing. Meanwhile, the bodies of exorcists with no Innocence were scattered around, all mutilated, and broken. As Lenalee looked around, she could see all of her friends; Miranda; Timothy; Lavi; Krory; Lou Fa; Chaoji; The generals; even her brother._

"_This has to be Allen's dream."_

_ As soon as she had that thought, she saw Allen lying there, barely alive, his Innocence arm destroyed, and leaning on one arm, watching as the final Exorcist was being tortured._

"_Th-that's… me!"_

_ Lenalee watched as the Noah and the Earl gathered around her and began to torture her. First, they used magical torture, using spells to cause her immense pain. Lenalee could hear her shrieks rising into the sky, falling upon deaf ears, save for Allen, who was now crying as he watched her. She could feel his heart rate increasing and his breath getting shallow and rapid, as the torture being used on her became more insane and sadistic. Slowly, the Noah tortured her, jamming nails into her joints, especially her knees, cutting her slowly with serrated edged knives, reaching inside her and gripping her internal organs. Then, she saw something that truly made her sick to her stomach. She watched as the Earl personally stood and destroyed her Innocence, and then Tyki put a single tiny Teeze into her body, and slowly, the Teeze began to devour her organs, and she watched as her dream self died a shrieking, agonized death of organ failure and internal bleeding. And then, in the moment that she died, the dream fell apart, and she was violently ejected from it._

"*GASP!*" Lenalee breathed heavily as she shot up in bed. She had used a minor spell so that she could visit Allen's dream. Now that she had, though, she was terrified. Was this what Allen saw every night? No wonder he didn't want to say anything. She could barely breathe, so fast and heavy was her heartbeat. In the next moment, though, she realized that if she had been forcibly ejected from the dream, that had to mean that Allen was also awake, now. She had to go see him. It may have been the middle of the night, but he was awake, anyhow.

Lenalee jumped out of bed and ran out of her room, slamming the door behind her and going into the halls, making turns where she needed to, and finally reaching his chamber door. She wasn't sure that she wanted to go in, though. He'd know that she was stealing a look at his dream if she did. She didn't want him to be angry at her. After a moment, though, she overcame her nervousness and knocked on the door, getting a weak, raspy answer and entering.

"L-Lenalee?" Allen asked as she walked in and closed the door. She looked at Allen sympathetically. His body was soaked in an ice cold sweat, and he looked like he just been beaten senseless. His eyes were glazed over, and he was trembling violently, and crying.

"I-is something wrong?"

"You had that dream again…" She said quietly. Allen looked at her in disbelief. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, a fact. Somehow, she knew. He hadn't screamed when he awoke, so how did she know?

"I-I'm fine…" Allen sputtered weakly. Lenalee shook her head.

"Don't lie, Allen-kun. It's unbecoming. You're anything but fine. I saw the dream world. It was horrifying. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have told anyone if you were having dreams like that? Allen asked.

"Yes…" Lenalee said, hoping that it would help. She knew it was a lie, though. There wouldn't be any way that she could have told anyone. What would she say? 'Every night I'm forced to watch you be tortured and murdered.'? It seemed unlikely at best.

"No you wouldn't." Allen replied. Lenalee sighed. He knew her too well to be lied to like that.

"Fine. I'm not sorry I watched your dream, though. I want to be able to help you. But I can't unless I know what you're thinking."

Allen sighed and shook his head. "It's alright. I should have been honest with you. I-I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily, though."

"I told you, Allen-kun. I can't help but worry about you. You're just the kind of person I can't leave alone." Lenalee said with a giggle. As much as Allen loved Lenalee, he found himself loving her even more when she laughed. Her smile lit up her entire face, and made him feel like he could truly be happy.

"Hey, Lou Fa…" Lavi said quietly, not looking over at the petite new exorcist standing next to him. She had just finished with target practice in the archery range at the Order. Although her Innocence had some ability to home in on targets, it wasn't perfect yet, and so, just like Kanda needed to stay sharp with his sword, she needed to have good aim with her arrows. So far, she was doing pretty well, although she was far from perfect yet.

Lavi often came to watch her practice. He enjoyed watching her, but more than that, he enjoyed being with her. Her smile when she hit a bulls-eye, her concentration when she was aiming, her unshakable determination. He was sure that she would be a great exorcist. Now, though, he had something he had to tell her. Now if only he could find the words to describe it. It wasn't like anything he had felt before. He had certainly lusted after various women in the past. But this was different. It was different even than how he felt about Lenalee. He just wasn't sure how. Perhaps Bookman leaving the Order had been the catalyst for his change. He had to be more self reliant, and now that he was, he was acting purely as an exorcist, rather than as a bookman first, and an exorcist second. It was alright to become attached to these people, now. He didn't have to resist that temptation, a temptation that was just normal to most people, but had been heretofore taboo for him.

"Yes, Mr. Bookman?" Lou Fa asked politely, smiling brightly at him, causing a surge of color to rush to his face, and making him feel slightly lightheaded.

"P-please j-just call me Lavi…" Lavi said nervously. "I-I'm not a bookman anymore."

"Oh… I-I didn't mean to be insensitive. Sorry…" Lou Fa replied. To this, though, Lavi shook his head vigorously.

"No! It isn't that! It's just… being called Mr makes me feel old."

"Ahaha!" the former scientist laughed. "Allen said the same thing. I wonder if all exorcists are as friendly and kind as you are, Lavi…" Lou Fa thought aloud. "I suppose they must be. They must have good hearts, if the Innocence chose them."

"Well… Yu and General Sokaro weren't very friendly… And according to Allen, his former master, Cross was a bit of a demon. But I… I just…" Lavi said, stuttering horribly, now that the time had come to speak up.

"I guess I wondered if you were s-still in love with Allen…" Lavi managed to choke out, sighing half in relief, and half in morbid anticipation of her answer.

"Well… I suppose not. Ever since I found out I was an accommodator, I feel like I've been able to let Allen go. I'm not jealous of Lenalee anymore, and carrying on normal conversations doesn't feel like such a laborious task with them, now. Was there a reason you asked, or were you just concerned?" Lou Fa asked obliviously, still smiling happily.

"I uh… I just wanted to know if you'd want to g-get coffee or something sometime." Lavi sputtered out. He felt like he did the first time he ever asked a girl out. He remembered well. It ended horribly, and Lavi had been glad that he and Bookman needed to leave town anyhow. Now, he wasn't tied down by the Bookmen anymore, though. He was free… Relatively speaking, anyhow. He was free to love anyone he wanted, date anyone he wanted, go wherever he wanted… after the war, of course. He could easily see spending a lot more time with Lou Fa. As perverted as he felt saying it, she was just too damn adorable. Her oversized glasses, her ponytails that barely manage to keep her hair in check, her short, petit stature… Well, she was Chinese after all. Lenalee was an exception, not the typical Chinese woman. He felt like a lecherous old man, but somehow, he was starting to care less and less.

Lavi could feel himself heating up, his muscles stiff in anticipation of Lou Fa's answer. She thought for a moment, although, to Lavi, that moment felt an eternity. Then, finally, she smiled brightly and said, "Sure! That sounds like fun! I never used to like coffee until I came here, you know. But given our long hours, I've become really hooked on it. Every time Miss Lee comes around with coffee, I grab it and guzzle it down."

"Ahaha… Is that so?" Lavi asked, breathing a sigh of relief and patting Lou Fa on the back, his body much more relaxed, now. "Don't worry. Coffee really isn't that bad. It's probably different than what you drank in China, though, isn't it?"

"Yes… We mostly drank tea there, except there was nobody to bring us mugs of it, so we had to get it ourselves when we had free time, which was actually rarer than you might think. The Asian Branch was busy enough, even though it wasn't as big as Main HQ. I wonder how Mr. Bak and Mr. Wong are doing. I haven't seen them in a while."

"Maybe we can ask Allen to help us use the Ark to visit them sometime…" Lavi suggested happily. Suddenly, the look on Lou Fa's face changed.

"No!" She cried loudly.

"W-what? Why? I-is it really that bad an idea?"

"N-no! I-it isn't that! I just… A-Allen has enough to do right now!"

"Enough to do? He hasn't had an assignment in over a week."

"No! That isn't what I mean! M-Miss Lee wouldn't say much. She just said it was really bad and that she was worried about him."

"Oh… Are his nightmares still bothering him? I suppose with an Akuma seeing eye like that, anyone'd have the heebie jeebies sometimes."

"Y-yeah… It must be tough. H-have you ever seen the souls of the Akuma with his eye?"

"Have I? Once. His eye only sees the world in black and white. It's kind of hard to describe unless you've seen it. But I remember the first time he saw the soul of the Level 4 Akuma, he actually threw up."

"Hey! Don't tell her that!" Allen complained, walking in and surprising both Lou Fa and Lavi, and causing the former scientist to jump.

"Sorry, Allen…" Lavi said weakly, looking away from the white haired general.

"Why the hell are you telling her weird stuff, anyhow!"

"Weird! Lou Fa is worried about you! And besides! _You_ certainly aren't telling us anything! How are we supposed to be able to help you if you never tell us that you need help!" Lavi ranted. Allen glared back at him.

"I _don't_ need help! I'm fine! I…" He didn't get to finish, though, because Lou Fa advanced on him and put a hand on his cheek.

"Please don't try to shoulder this burden on your own, Allen. That's why you have friends. I know you're the Heart of the Innocence, but that doesn't mean that you have to fight the Earl on your own. Besides, you don't look well. You're pale, and even thinner than usual. _Please_ take care of yourself…" Lou Fa pleaded. "If not for your own sake, then for ours. We'd all be lost without you…"

Allen tried to smile, but he could feel a lump in his throat, and a cold sense of dread befalling him. Something was wrong, and the Noah Family was right at the epicenter as usual.

"E-excuse me…" Allen muttered, struggling to remain standing due to the feeling of vertigo and nausea that was washing over him like waves of ice cold water. He could feel his heart rate increasing, and his breathing getting ragged.

"I-I… I have to go!" Allen shouted, barely managing to keep himself from throwing up as he bolted out of the training room.

Tearing through the halls, he finally made it to his own chambers and ripped open the door, slamming it behind him just before he stumbled to the ground and fell into a strange sort of waking nightmare. He could see that terrifying future again. That was nothing new. But now, down below, the humans weren't dead… Allen was watching as one by one, the Noah Family, which seemed now to be complete, was ripping their souls excruciatingly from their bodies and planting them in Akuma shells. Meanwhile, his former comrades were in chains and being brutally tortured as the Noah took their sweet time destroying their physical bodies molecule by molecule. As Allen looked up above, there was no light, and he knew somehow that God had fallen, that he had been destroyed by the Earl, just as planned. It was sickening to see such a cold new world, for indeed, there was not even the tiniest bit of heat in this dark, mind numbingly frightening place. He could barely call it Earth, anymore. It was more like a simple rock, fit only for the Noah, where all others bowed to them whether they wanted to or not. Allen felt his cheeks. He was crying again… But this time, it wasn't tears he cried… It was blood. Then, as he felt a strangled sob escape his mouth, his stomach retched and he gasped, coughing up blood, and the Earl looked his way and smiled even more widely. Then, he spoke.

"You know, Allen Walker! At first, I cursed the day I decided not to kill you! But it really was fortuitous for me, after all! Why, without your help, I couldn't have gotten where I am today. After I destroyed your Innocence personally, and then your little girlfriend's, all the other Innocence was destroyed, and a darkness like never seen descended upon the earth. God was weakened because of the destruction of his precious Heart, and so, with my beloved family complete, we destroyed God and warped this world into something the likes of which could only be truly appreciated by us! So thank you, Allen Walker, I mean it! I couldn't have done it without you, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

Suddenly, Allen became nominally aware of his surroundings again, and the light shining directly in his eyes disoriented him even more than he already was. The world was already spinning in his mind, but with this light, it just made him sick to his stomach. He reached up feebly to try to swat it away, but missed entirely. After three more failed attempts, he stopped and just shut his eyes again.

"Nii-san! I-is he alright!" Lenalee asked urgently.

"Well, physically, I can't find anything wrong with him, but as for what's going on in his head, I couldn't begin to imagine. Allen has always had a strange connection to the Innocence. Maybe it's something to do with that.

"Noah… Complete… Doomed…" Allen muttered, trying to open his eyes again and finding that this time, there wasn't any light there.

"What is it, Allen-kun?"

"Who…? W-wha? L-Lenalee? Lavi? Lou Fa…? Ch-Chief Komui? W-when did you guys get here?" Allen asked blankly, trying to sit up, but being pushed back down by Lavi.

"No, no. Stay down for a few minutes. You can't possibly need to be anywhere that urgently."

"We ran after you, Allen-kun…" Lenalee said, sitting down next to Allen, who pulled away from her slightly, causing Lenalee to look slightly hurt. This didn't escape the others' notice either, and Komui seemed, as usual, the one most angered by this. Lou Fa and Lavi secretly prepared to hold Komui back should he do anything insane, as the man was now muttering curses, and threats under his breath. Lenalee looked up at him reproachfully as if daring him to take another step, though.

"Allen! D-did I say something to upset you!" Lou Fa interrupted, looking slightly hysterical as she took a few steps forward and removed her glasses cleaning them with her exorcist uniform sleeve. After she was no longer able to calm her nerves by cleaning her glasses, she began to bite her nails. It was a bad habit she had as a child, but that she was sure she had disposed of. Apparently, she hadn't, though, because she could feel her teeth chattering away on her thumb, cutting right through the nail and into her flesh. At this, Allen was forcibly reminded of Road's memory of Skin Bolic, the freakishly muscular Wrath of Noah.

"Lou Fa! Stop, you're going to bite your thumb off!" Allen cried frantically, after he could no longer stand seeing this. He felt around inside his desk for some food and threw her a candy bar. It was exactly the same thing that Road had offered to Skin. It worked for that guy.

"E-eat this instead. It probably tastes better, anyhow…" Allen said, laughing nervously, seeing small drops of blood dripping from Lou Fa's thumb.

"You're avoiding my question! I know I sometimes speak without thinking, Mr. Walker…" Lou Fa ranted, reverting to her habit of calling Allen 'Mr. Walker'. "But I swear, I never meant to hurt your feelings, or anything like that! I would never hurt you! Y-you're the one who gave me my power! If you hadn't agreed to take me on that trip, then I never would have encountered that bow, and I wouldn't be able to fight like I can, now! I'd still be weak and pathetic..."

"Hey! Just because we scientists can't fight doesn't mean we're 'pathetic'!" Komui whined.

"Oh… Mr. Komui! I-I'm sorry…" Lou Fa said quickly, blushing and covering her mouth upon realizing what she had said. "I didn't mean…"

"Calm down, Lou Fa. I know what you meant… I was just joking." Komui said, putting a hand on Lou Fa's shoulder.

"Nii-san! Now isn't the time for jokes! This is serious! Allen-kun! You had another nightmare! Didn't you?" Lenalee said, facing Allen and grabbing his arms, shaking him, causing both Lavi and Lou Fa to give a start, Lavi merely in surprise, and Lou Fa to try to pull Lenalee off of Allen.

"Miss Lee! Please! Don't hurt Mr. Walker! You shouldn't be shaking him! He isn't feeling…"

"Shut up! What did you see, Allen!" Lenalee demanded, causing Allen to shrink away, feeling very timid and small indeed, and causing Lou Fa to shudder with the intensity of Lenalee's tone.

"Tell me! Allen-kun! If you won't tell me, yourself, I'll force it out of you! You know I can do that… I've done it before!"

"A-alright…!" Allen said nervously, stopping Lenalee's hand from shaking him, and shivering slightly.

"Th-the Noah Family… The Earl finally found the last member of this generation. They are complete, and now that they are, all that keeps them from washing over this entire world like a wave of pure destruction is that single astronomical event. It _will_ happen, though. We only have four months left, and if we can't fight and defeat them by then, it will be too late. Lou Fa, you didn't do anything wrong, I promise…" Allen said, sitting up, despite Lou Fa's protests and smiling at her. "It was just that while you were talking to me, I felt the Earl. He's happier than he's ever been. The Noah Family is finally complete after millennia of searching, fighting, and losing members. He managed to bypass Road's loss somehow. He's close, and he knows it. The Family is powerful, each member individually wields power like you can't imagine. When they complete the thirteen member family, their power more than triples. Years ago, the Earl had the entire family assembled, just as prophecy said he would. He believed that the time had come to take his place at the top. But then, just as he was setting his plans into action, a fourteenth member awoke. This was an oddity. It had never happened before. Neah Walker was like nothing the Earl had ever seen, with powers that nearly rivaled those of the Earl himself. Not only did Neah have his Noah powers, but he was also highly skilled in sorcery, perhaps even more skilled than Master was. Neah was loyal to the Earl, though. But as the Destruction of Noah, he was destined to turn against the Earl. The Earl was arrogant, though, and became complacent, believing Neah could never betray him, even if he wanted to. Then, Neah turned, and destroyed the entire Noah Family, save for Road and the Earl, and he fought with the Earl. The Earl barely survived, and Neah died, but passed his soul onto another that they might finish his work. He passed it onto me. He did so because I was Mana Walker's adopted son. Mana was his brother, and they were very close. I managed to overcome the power of the Fourteenth, but his mission still coincides with mine, and now, the Noah are complete once more. There is no more Fourteenth to cause a little disruption, and we're running out of time. The night of the total lunar eclipse that coincides with Perigee is mere months away, and we are woefully unprepared, unlike the Earl, who has had ages to get ready."

"W-what are you talking about, Mr… I mean… Allen?" Lou Fa asked timidly. The look on his face was a little bit disconcerting. "We have more Innocence users, now, including the Pyromancer, and myself. We've got that information that you guys got us. We have the Smart Suits, and the magic gun. What more do we need?"

"What did all those documents say?"

"Documents? Well, we couldn't read them. They were in a strange language that none of us had ever seen before, and the computers couldn't decipher."

"What! Why didn't you tell me that! Let me look at them!" Allen shouted, jumping out of bed only to suddenly be hit by a dizzy spell and crash back to the floor.

"Mr. Walker!" Lou Fa cried frantically, running over to him. She was just as worried about him now as she had been when she had first met him, but it was different now. It was a friendly concern, rather than an amorous one… Did that make any sense?

"Stop calling me that!" Allen snapped suddenly, swatting violently at Lou Fa and sending her flying as she reacted to his arm. He seemed to recognize this, too, because he suddenly slapped his hands over his mouth, kneeling there looking ashamed of himself.

"I-I'm sorry!" he gasped, as he looked around at the astonished faces. Lavi had never seen Allen lash out at anyone like that, least of all someone who was just trying to help. Allen for his part was still feeling some of the lingering malice that the Earl had felt in his hallucination, and it wasn't helping his personality.

"Lou Fa…" Allen said nervously, reaching out to her, causing her to recoil slightly.

"I-it's alright, M-Mr… Allen. I-I guess I'll just… Go back t-to training…" Lou Fa muttered, standing up and walking off. As soon as she left, Lavi stormed over to Allen furiously and grabbed him, shaking him violently.

"What the hell is the matter with you! She was just concerned about you!" Lavi shouted.

"S-sorry… I-I just… I mean… I-I need to go to bed. S-see you guys later!" Allen said, rushing to the door.

"Allen-kun! This is _your_ room!" Lenalee said incredulously. Had he really forgotten something that obvious. "Nii-san, Lavi, please leave…" Lenalee said quietly, but leaving no room for argument. Lavi and Komui nodded and filed out, shutting the door behind them.

"Allen-kun…" Lenalee said, looking at the door, walking over to it and opening it, and then closing it and locking it again, just to make sure.

"Why did you treat Lou Fa that way? It's so unlike you."

"I know. I just… was thinking about something else. It was like, when I was thinking about the Noah Family being complete, all of the racial memories of Noah flashed through my mind, and something snapped in me for that one moment. It wasn't Lou Fa. It could just as easily have been you, or Lavi, or Komui-san."

"It's more than that, though. I don't need magic to tell me that."

"I'm not ready to save the world. I'm not ready to fight the Earl, destroy the Noah Family, end the war, and save humanity. I'm scared. What if I fail and the Earl destroys the world like he wants to do? How can I rest peacefully knowing that it was my job to save the world and I failed?"

"I was reading the True Bible, and in it, in the final book of Revelations, there were passages that aren't in the known bible. It said that the reason that God split the Innocence and then told Noah to replenish the Earth was that only humans had the ability to be compatible with Innocence, and thus defeat the Earl. In Revelations, the Bible speaks of the final climactic battle between Jesus and the Antichrist. But the True Bible says different. It names the Earl as the Antichrist, and the wielder of the Heart as his opponent. Probably, since most humans don't know about Innocence, they translated "the Heart" to mean Jesus. My point is you're the only one who can defeat the Earl. So, if you can't do it, then that means humanity was doomed from the start. Can you accept that possibility?"

"What? Of course not. But didn't Cross say that both of us were the Heart? That leaves a rather sizeable hole in your explanation…" Allen said, laughing feebly.

"Well, it would, if Cross hadn't been lying. He's never been the most honest person, anyhow." Lenalee said with a giggle.

"W-what! Master was lying! Why that no good, conniving, sneaky, malicious son of a bitch!" Allen roared, furious beyond reason, now.

"What?" Lenalee asked, laughing hard now, upon seeing Allen in such a state of rage. "Are you unhappy that you and I are together, now?" Lenalee asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. Allen blushed heavily at this.

"N-no! Th-that isn't what I meant! I just… It wasn't fair of Master t-to pressure you like that!"

"Oh, there wasn't that much pressure. I would've told you how I felt sooner or later."

"So… You really did… love me?" Allen asked, blushing slightly at how blunt his question had been. Lenalee blushed too, but smiled modestly.

"I still do. Was there ever any doubt?" She asked.

"Well… It all sort of seemed too good to be true… Other than that, though…" Allen said with a rather weak laugh of his own.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Fortunately, the next day, Allen was back to full health, and eating more than ever, having ordered three of each entrée, and two of every side dish, all six salads, and all eight soups, and all 20 desserts, of course, which he ate ravenously, not having eaten properly in days, and having definitely suffered for it. He knew that he was going to have to spend most of the day reading those documents, if he even could translate them, about which even he was not sure. And so, he wanted to make sure that he had a full stomach before starting.

After wolfing down his breakfast, and wishing that he could have stayed longer, he trudged down to the science section and sat down at the table they had provided for him. The scientists grabbed a crate and cracked it open. Upon seeing what was inside, though, Allen cursed his luck. Apparently, the Earl had created an extradimensional pocket space inside the box that could hold mountains of information.

_Ah, well. I guess I have my work cut out for me…_ Allen said, putting on the helmet that the Science Department had given him and connected to a computer to translate his immediate thoughts into data, which could then be analyzed. Allen was a little bit uncomfortable with this, because of some rather embarrassing thoughts that had been crossing his mind lately. Reever had assured him that it wouldn't be a problem, though, because the helmet only had the ability to read his thoughts that flashed through his mind in that very instant, and so, because he was concentrating on reading the documents, it would not be an issue.

So, Allen set to work… Fortunately, he immediately understood the language. Although he had never learned any such language, it was plain as day what it was saying. It was the True Language, a language spoken by God and the Angels, and therefore, known by Lucifer and taught to Lilith and Adam. The language was so accurate, that the chance for miscommunication when speaking it was none. Few people, knew it, though… It was a frightfully difficult language with such deep intricacies and subtleties to various accents and inflections that becoming fluent in it would take most humans more than one lifetime, which most humans did not have.

As Allen scanned page after page of data, he became distressingly aware of the Earl's familiarity with magic, the past, the future, and knowledge of pretty much all things. In the Earl's pact with Lucifer (there was a copy of that as well, written in the True Language, the knowledge of which Adam was imbued beforehand so that he could read the contract. Adam wanted all knowledge in existence from the past, present, and future, and so, Lucifer obliged him in exchange for the two souls mentioned in the True Bible… Adam's own soul, and the soul of his Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandson, Noah, who 12 of his own great grandchildren would awaken to Noah's memories, and serve the Earl as the Noah Family, and again, and again through each generation. Like Noah, the awakened Sons and Daughters would be ageless, but could die due to violent means. However, because they represented an aspect of Noah, they would be reincarnated, and then the next Noah would awaken. Although only 12 aspects of Noah were ever awake at any one time, there were actually … aspects of Noah that existed, each randomly able to awaken in any human upon the death of an already awakened Noah. Those aspects were; Judge; Pleasure; Desire; Wisdom; Corrosion; Pity; Dreams; Bond; Ability; Destruction; Music; Pestilence; Reverence; Trepidation; Knowledge; Love; Dominance; Submission; Lust; Greed; Sloth; Envy; Pride; Gluttony; Wrath; Chastity; Temperance; Charity; Diligence; Patience; Kindness; and Humility, the last fourteen representing the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Heavenly Virtues respectively. The power that each Noah possessed would obviously correspond to the aspect of Noah that they represented, though Noah himself possessed the sum total of all of the powers of each aspect.

At the next part, Allen gasped. It was truly horrifying how far the Earl was willing to go to destroy God. It said that on the date of the total lunar eclipse at lunar perigee when the planets were in perfect alignment, the Earl would release a terrible spell that would absorb Noah's entire soul, meaning that all of the Noah, besides the Earl, would be destroyed, or at the very least, turned back into ordinary humans. That would mean that in addition to the power boost from the astronomical event itself, he would receive all of Noah's powers and could quite possibly destroy God as he believed he would one day do. But that meant that the Earl didn't really care about any of the members of the Noah Family, and that they were all just sacrificial lambs for him to use in his malicious and spiteful desire to dethrone and destroy God.

Next, was information and statistics on Noah's Ark on which the Science Department probably would have killed to have when they first stole the Ark from the Earl. Sheet after sheet of data described every function and every intricacy of the Ark so precisely that even scanning it was making Allen's brain hurt. He didn't really care, though. The R&D team had told him already that it wasn't necessary for him to understand what the individual functions were, merely for him to translate into something that they as the Science Department could read. That was slightly comforting to know, but not too much, because Allen was sure that if he had to read too much more of this jargon, his head would explode. On the papers were complex arcane, and, mathematical equations that truly boggled his mind. Some of the information just made him feel a little bit sick to his stomach, like information about the destruction of the Universe. According to the data in front of him, the Dark Matter present in the unseen places of the universe caused it to slowly expand, which explained why the Big Bang happened, and why the Universe was still expanding. This was going to cause it to continuously expand, though, until the stars and planets were so far away from each other that any planet that may have supported life could no longer do so, which would be called the Big Freeze. That wasn't the worst of it, though. The data theorized that eventually, the Dark Matter inside the planets and the stars would cause all of them to be torn asunder until literally nothing of any measurable value remained in the universe, a slow process that would be called the Big Rip (No fart jokes, please.) The only thing about this that even slightly put Allen at ease was that it was not supposed to happen for at least 100 decillion years (1035, I think… Don't quote me, or 1 followed by 35 zeros.) In other words, long after he, or anyone he knew, was dead.

After that, the science and math that was recorded only got more complex and more bizarre, going into theories that wouldn't be discovered for thousands of years and some of it was written in other languages, some ancient, some so far from the future that none of them would ever speak them.

Finally, after a dozen cups of coffee, and three consecutive days and nights spent reading the data, Allen's head collapsed on the table, and the helmet fell off his head, nearly falling on the floor, but being caught by Reever, who was much quicker on his feet than anyone could have predicted. Everyone in the Science Department breathed a sigh of relief… That is, until Komui walked in with five people in tow, each carrying at least two crates of God only knew what, and set them down.

"No, no! No complaining!" Komui said, clapping his hands. "Everyone except Allen, get to work immediately on this. Even I don't know what's in there, so be careful!"

Lenalee took a deep breath and knocked on Komui's door. She tried, now, to count the number of times before that she had tried to talk to Komui about this subject, but every time, she broke down into tears and ended up needing Komui to calm her down, after which, he said she was working too hard, and he told her to get some rest. She remembered back to the time in Sweden with Allen in the hotel. She was having these same thoughts… That horrible feeling of guilt that bothered her every time she came across her brother absorbed in his work. He wouldn't even have had to be there if it weren't for the weakness that she had once shown… No. Nothing had changed. She still felt weak and helpless. When she saw the Earl, and heard about the horrible things that he was doing, she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach with fear and loathing.

"Come in…" Komui said calmly, and Lenalee walked in, trying desperately to smile, and hoping that Komui wouldn't see how horrible she felt.

"Lenalee-chan!" Komui said kindly, grinning at her. "You know you don't need to knock. You can come in whenever you want…"

"W-well… I-I didn't want to bother you if you were in the middle of something important, Nii-san…"

"Lenalee-chan… There's nothing I could _possibly_ be doing that's more important than you…" Her brother said kindly, standing up and pulling Lenalee in, sitting her down across from him. "Now, you look upset. Do you need me to hurt someone for you?" Komui asked, his expression completely straight despite the strange question he had just asked.

"Nii-san! Don't say weird things!" Lenalee complained. "I-it's not that. I-I just… I-I'm sorry!" Lenalee said, standing up quickly and bowing in apology, leaving Komui completely speechless, his mouth slightly agape.

"L-Lenalee-chan? W-why are you apologizing?" He asked, a slightly confused smile on his face.

"Because it's completely my fault that you're stuck here, now! I know how much you hate it here, because I used to hate this place just as much! I wasn't strong enough to take care of myself, and so, you had to come, and now, you're a prisoner here, too, and there's nothing anyone can do about it, and it isn't fair that you have to be here just because I was so weak…" Lenalee blurted out, not even pausing for breath.

For a moment, Komui didn't say anything, but after a little while, he stood and pushed Lenalee down in her seat, and sat down in the chair next to her, holding her close to him in a tight embrace.

"Lenalee-chan, I don't hate it here. And it isn't your fault I'm here. I decided to come on my own because I knew you needed me. It's true that I'm not free to do what I want, anymore, and that I can't just get up and go travel the world, but this is where you, and everyone else who's important to me is, and there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here with my family. And you aren't weak. One's strength is measured by what an individual chooses to live their life for. So if you need me around you to be able to live your life, then I promise I'll be here until you no longer need me… And if that day never comes, then I swear on my life that I'll never die! All for my sweet, sweet, Lenalee-chan!" Komui said passionately, tears now flowing from his eyes, his foot on the chair and his fists clenched tightly in dedication.

"Now see, Nii-san…" Lenalee said with a giggle. "You were making sense up to the part where you said you'd never die…"

"Aha… Is that so? Well, anything for my darling Lenalee-chan…" Komui laughed lightly, rubbing Lenalee's head, and so, messing up her hair slightly, which had, since the Level 3 Akuma on the ship to Edo, grown significantly, but was still not as long as it had once been, only going down, now, to the middle between her shoulder blades.

Lenalee had to say, though, she liked it slightly shorter. Although she sort of liked having long hair as well because her brother had always complimented her on it, and, when she first lost it all, Anita had requested that she let it grow out again, long hair was cumbersome, difficult to care for, and easily snagged on anything that happened to be in the way. She had liked the way her hair had been when it was merely shoulder length. It was easy to simply wash and put in a ponytail, it generally stayed out of the way, and in general, she just thought it looked better. She occasionally wondered whether Allen preferred her hair long or short. Although she would never base her decision solely on his preference, his thoughts always mattered to her, and she would want to know what he thought. She remembered back laughingly to the time that Komui's hair growth tonic had spilled on Allen's head, and his hair had grown so long that he had to keep it constantly tied back. Shortly thereafter, she cut it for him, but her brother's weird inventions always sort of amused and perplexed her… Like his Komuvitamin D, which was supposed to enhance strength, but ended up having the hilarious side effect of causing the subject to grow rabbit ears, which happened when Bookman accidentally took one of his vitamins instead of his daily supplement… or something like that.

"Lenalee-chan… Lenalee-chan…" Komui continued, finally getting her attention, though he seemed to have called her name several times to have done so.

"Yes!"

"Please don't worry that you've put me out, or that my being trapped here is your fault. We all have to make sacrifices for this war. Allen does, you did… And I do as well… And if the only thing that I'm good for is to be here for you, I'm happy to do that…"

"Th-thank you, Nii-san…" Lenalee said, tears forming in her eyes again, and she grabbed Komui and hugged him tightly, crying again, this time out of relief that Komui didn't blame her for his current predicament.

"So, Lou Fa… We're on a date now, but I feel like we hardly know each other. Up until recently you were a scientist. What was that like?" Lavi asked, leaning in towards Lou Fa and smiling, although he was only half paying attention, not because he was disinterested in talking to her, but because the day he was having felt just ever so slightly unreal. He felt so… what was the word to describe it? He knew what he was trying to think of, but since he had never felt it before, it was hard to arrive at a solid definition of what the feeling was. Perhaps the feeling was… mundane? No… Mundane had connotations of dullness to it. Ordinary? That was closer, but not quite right. Perhaps it was that… Normal? Yeah. He felt almost normal. He was going out to lunch wearing normal clothes with a girl on a nice day. He had his Innocence, and Lou Fa had hers, but he wasn't even thinking about it on any more than a nominal level. He didn't have to be an Exorcist at the moment. He could just be a person… And he was having fun doing it, even if it was all just a temporary act on his day off.

"W-wha!" Lou Fa asked nervously. She hadn't been expecting him to ask questions about her. She had always considered herself pretty boring, and so, she didn't like to talk about herself."

"B-being a scientist i-isn't that interesting! I-it's just a lot of numbers and statistics and math…"

"Okay… Well…" Lavi thought for a moment. He had been hoping to learn a little bit about her. "You can't have been born in Asian HQ. What was life like before the Black Order?"

Suddenly, dark, shadowy flashes of memory went through her mind in a brief instant, causing her to gasp in pain as she saw fleeting images of a grotesque caricature of a man and a small girl… She heard screaming, but no mouths from which the screaming came… Fire, but no houses that seemed to be burning… Laughter, but nobody was even the slightest bit amused… Even the caricature and the girl seemed to have a grim aura about them.

And then, as soon as the flash came… It was gone, leaving Lou Fa feeling as though she had caught a hazy glimpse of someone else's nightmare. Yes, surely it was a simple nightmare from her past that was popping up for reasons unknown… And yet, now, she was freezing cold, and shivering violently, even though it was a warm day, and her chest felt constricted, like someone… or something had put her ribcage in a vise and began to shut it, slowly and painfully forcing all the air out of her lungs, leaving nothing but terror and misery in its place.

"Lou Fa! Lou Fa! Are you alright!" Lavi asked, standing up suddenly, knocking his chair over in the process. Almost immediately after he had asked her about her life before Asia HQ, her eyes had glazed over, and her breathing seemed to become ragged. It was like she was having a heart attack or something.

Almost as suddenly as the problem started, though, it was also over, leaving the new exorcist with little more than a foreboding sense of déjà vu.

"W-what did you say?" She asked blankly, blinking a few times and shaking her head to clear it. Lavi sighed and sat back down, pointing to her tea, and saying, "You should have something to drink. You don't look well…" The words sounded strange coming from his mouth… Too formal, but he knew it was he who was saying them.

"Wha? N-no… I'm fine…"

"Yeah?" Lavi asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Then what were we talking about?"

"Oh… Well we were…" She stopped for a moment to think. "And you said…" Still nothing. Finally, she gave up, hanging her head in defeat.

"I have no idea…" She groaned. "Could you please remind me, Lavi-san?" She asked, bowing apologetically.

"W-what! I told you, you don't need to be so formal…" Lavi complained. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, dropping his voice. They were the only ones sitting outside the café on the sidewalk, but he still didn't want to be overheard. "W-would you prefer to go back to HQ? You could get some rest… Maybe you'll feel better tomorrow…"

"No… I-I'm fine…" Lou Fa said with a smile, trying not to show the fact that she felt about ready to throw up. She was having fun on their date, though, and she didn't want to ruin it by forcing Lavi to take her back to HQ.

"Alright…" Lavi said suspiciously, sitting back down and taking a drink from his tea again. Lou Fa looked up at Lavi and smiled.

"You know, Lavi-san…"

"Just Lavi is fine…"

"Right… Lavi… You're really nice. I'm glad I was able to meet you, and just as glad that you decided not to leave with Mr. Bookman. If not for you, I still would have been hung up on Allen like a lovesick little puppy." Lou Fa said, putting her hand on Lavi's, causing the red haired exorcist to blush slightly.

"W-well… I-I don't know if I-I did that much…" Lavi said, looking away, unable to look directly at Lou Fa.

"No. That isn't true! It really hurt when Allen rejected me. I know he didn't intend to, but it had to happen eventually. You really helped me feel better afterwards. You know, in all the time I've seen you at the Black Order, I don't think I've ever seen you smiling as happily as you are now."

"Well… Leaving Bookman was the best decision for me. I didn't belong there anymore. My knowledge and skills as a Bookman are still valuable to the Order, but I ceased to be a Bookman the minute I started to get close to the other Exorcists. As a Bookman, the main rule is to never become attached to anyone, but as an Exorcist, if you don't have someone you care about, you're liable to lose your mind…" Suddenly, Lavi went quiet, though, and looked around him. The entire café was silent, and everyone was leering at them.

"Lou Fa, please go back to HQ…" Lavi said seriously. Lou Fa looked at him irately and shook her head.

"I can't! Not without you! What's going on!"

Before Lavi could answer, the thin layers of skin burst away from the people sitting in the café, and dozens of level 3 Akuma, and 2 level 4s surrounded them.

"Shit! This is bad. Lou Fa! Run! You're not ready to fight this kind of monster yet."

"No! I won't leave! I can't. If I can't even handle this kind of threat, what use would I be against the Noah?"

"Yes… What use _would_ you be against the Noah, little girl?" Came a calm, ice cold voice from the doorway, causing Lavi and Lou Fa to turn around, only to see a gray person with the usual stigmata on their forehead.

"I suppose, since I'm the newest member of the family, introductions are in order, are they not? My name is Jubilex, the Trepidation of Noah. My ability is Fear. It allows me to cause any opponents who stare into my eyes to fall victim to the fear that naturally lies in the heart of every human. That of death, of the futility of life… Watch." And with that, Jubilex glared at Lou Fa, who could swear that her eyes lit up momentarily. Then, suddenly, she felt her heart skip a beat as she broke out into a cold sweat and fell to her knees.

"Lou Fa!" Lavi called, running over to her.

"Do not bother. She cannot hear you, Exorcist. Her own natural fears that lay dormant in her heart until now have been amplified a thousand-fold, and all she can hear is voices whispering to her of her doom."

Lavi glared at the Noah and took out his Innocence, activating it faster than he ever had before and before the Noah could even move, he had made his first attack.

"Combo Seal! Strong Thunder of the Heavens!" Lavi called, hitting both seals on his circle and then hitting the Noah directly, making a point blank strike at Jubilex. When the smoke cleared, though, even though the café was destroyed utterly, and half the level 3 Akuma were destroyed as well, Jubilex was sitting next to Lou Fa with her hand on the girl's shoulder and a dagger up to her throat. Lou Fa was no longer hallucinating, though.

"Lou Fa!"

"Don't move." Jubilex said calmly, but sternly. "Twitch a single muscle and your little girlfriend dies. It would be a shame to have to kill such a pretty girl."

"Don't worry about me, Lavi. Just kill her."

In the moment between the time that Jubilex looked down at Lou Fa and when Lavi made his attack, he saw Lou Fa wink at him. Maybe she had a plan. Although he wasn't sure what it was, he trusted her.

"Combo Seal! Strong Thunder of the Heavens!" Lavi shouted, running at Jubilex, his hammer charged with electricity and fire. In exact second that Lavi's attack hit, Lou Fa elbowed Jubilex's wrist, and jumped into the air above the new Noah, activating her Innocence and firing a fully charged Arrow at the Noah so that both their attacks hit at once. This time, their attack hit, although unfortunately, neither seemed to do any major damage.

"That hurt… And you singed my clothes. I do hope the Black Order plans to pay for these." She said in an ironic tone, right before she made her move, flashing right before Lavi and Lou Fa's eyes, and slashing Lavi right across the neck, causing him to fall to the ground, gasping for air. His throat wasn't completely cut open, but she had nicked it slightly, and Lou Fa just managed to dodge in time and fire a few arrows that knocked the dagger out of the Noah's hand. She then rushed over to Lavi and knelt down next to him, tearing some bandages out of her pocket and wrapping his neck as tightly as she dared, not only to stem the bleeding, but to make sure he didn't asphyxiate on his own blood. After she was done fixing up Lavi, she stood up and took her bow out again.

"I won't allow you Noah and the Akuma to do as you please with this world… I will destroy all of you!" Lou Fa announced, lifting her bow and leaping into the air, firing a few arrows, which Jubilex deflected with ease, but which drove her back slightly all the same. The problem for Lou Fa was that she was already feeling the drain on her energy from firing all those arrows. She couldn't give up now, though. She had to fight for Lavi and for the rest of the Order. She landed and immediately started running toward Jubilex, firing arrows as she went, each one driving the Noah back further. Finally, Lou Fa was standing right in front of the new Noah and Jubilex's back was against the wall.

"Well, you've got me cornered. Are you going to kill me now, girl? _Can_ you kill me? I am human after all. Killing me would make you a murderer. No matter what atrocities I've committed, and believe me, I've committed many, I am still essentially human. Can you, in cold blood, murder me?"

For a moment, Lou Fa didn't lower her bow, or say a word. Jubilex's question had stumped her. _Could_ she kill this woman? If what she said was true, then she really would be committing murder. The idea was frightening. What would Allen do in this situation? Or Lenalee? Or Lavi? Would they take the opportunity to kill this Noah, who, if allowed to live, would surely commit more atrocious acts as she had in the past? Lou Fa didn't get a chance to think about it more, though, because in that moment, a Level 3 Akuma stabbed her in the back with its claws, causing Lou Fa to collapse, breathing raggedly, trying not to faint from the pain and blood loss. Jubilex looked down at Lou Fa and kicked her lightly in disgust.

"I wouldn't waste my time killing a speck of dust like you. Augie…" She said, indicating the Akuma who had just stabbed her. The Akuma snapped to attention and looked at his mistress.

"Kill her, now. Jax… Kill the male…" She said, pointing to the Level 4 Akuma. The two Akuma nodded and Augie turned Lou Fa over, sneering at her.

"Such a lovely countenance you have, my dear. I wonder what they'll say at your funeral when they see that your face has been slashed to ribbons?" Augie wondered, slashing down across Lou Fa's face, leaving three cuts running from her forehead to her chin, one of which gouged her left eye out. Lou Fa shrieked in agony as the Akuma did this, causing the Akuma to laugh in sadistic delight, before grabbing her arm and tearing outward, and then bending it at an awkward angle, snapping and dislocating it in one swift movement, earning another scream of agony.

"Ah! So wonderful it is to hear the delicate cries of a female victim! You know, sweetheart, I was pretty famous when I was alive. I was what you would call a serial killer, and a mass murderer. I preferred the use of knives. Guns are boring, don't you think, baby? Yeah, they totally are. They're too quick, and you can't savor the pain of your victims as well, though occasionally, I did use bombs to make my 'art'. Killing _is_ an art, dear… And art should _explode_ off the canvas, whether that explosion is fire, blood, or gore, makes me no nevermind. As long as I could kill people, I was a happy man. But then, those damned cops! They shot me, and I died. But an obsessive fan of my work revived me as an Akuma! And I tell you, the pain I feel is totally worth it to be able to continue…" The Akuma said, stabbing Lou Fa superficially in the chest, causing blood to splatter everywhere "my artwork!" He finished, slashing her across her entire abdomen, causing more blood to fly.

"Your blood is delicious, darling…" The Akuma said licentiously, leaning down and licking the blood off of Lou Fa's stomach. Lou Fa was too weak, now to even resist.

"Are you in pain?" Augie whispered. Lou Fa nodded weakly, dry sobs barely escaping her lips, causing her entire chest to rattle with broken ribs.

"Good. Then I'll put you out of your misery, and you'll be my most beautiful piece of work yet…" Augie finished, raising his claws up high, aiming for her head. Before he could finish, though, his arm was sliced off, causing the Akuma to shriek in agony and stand up furiously, kicking Lou Fa aside violently, leaving her to grunt in pain as her small body was smashed against the wall, leaving a huge crater in it.

Before the Akuma stood Allen and Lenalee, both dressed in their new Exorcist uniforms. Allen ran over to Lou Fa while Lenalee engaged the Akuma.

"Lou Fa! Lou Fa! I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner! We came as soon as we heard, but we were delayed by other Akuma!"

"A…llen…" Lou Fa gasped. "Th…nk you… You g…ve me… ch…ce… to… be… use…ful…" Lou Fa said, tears flooding her eyes, even though she was smiling at Allen.

"Miranda! Don't worry about Lavi right now!" Allen yelled, calling Miranda over to them. When she got over there, though, Lou Fa had already stopped breathing.

"No!" They heard Lavi shout, running over to Lou Fa, kneeling down at her side and holding her tightly to him.

"I'm sorry, Lou Fa! I can't believe I'm such a failure! I can't even protect the people I l-love most! Bookman would be so ashamed of me!"

"Lavi! Stop! Don't think that way! It's not your fault! We all know the dangers of being Exorcists. Lou Fa was in way over her head this time. There was no way we could expect her to fight Level 3s and a Noah all at once. Let's bring her back to the Order, and that way we can have a decent funeral for her. Let her soul pass in peace.

"No, wait! Allen-san!" Miranda cried. Allen and Lavi looked over at Miranda, who, despite sobbing quite miserably, looked happier than she had ever been in her life. Lou Fa was breathing, now, albeit shallowly, and although her wounds were still severe, it was obvious that she was still alive.

"Miranda! How did you do that!" Lavi asked, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

"I-I d-d-don't know. One minute, I was wishing that there was some way that I could help, and begging God to allow me to be useful in such a desperate situation, and then, my Innocence exploded with light, and Lou Fa started breathing again…"

"Miranda… D-do you know what this means? You're able to revive the dead!" Allen said quietly, hardly daring to believe their luck, even as Miranda collapsed with a brilliant smile on her face from the exertion of having used her Innocence to such a degree.

"Y-you mean… I-I…"

"La…vi…" Lou Fa gasped, hugging Lavi tightly, and kissing him on the lips. "Thank you… I-I couldn't have fought… as I did if…"

"Don't talk, Lou Fa." Lavi said gently. "Miranda managed to seal the worst of your wounds, but you're still badly hurt."

"D-do you think… I'm ugly… now?" Lou Fa asked, bringing her hand weakly up to her mouth and starting to bite her thumbnail again.

"Silly… Of course I don't. You're as beautiful as the day I met you."

After a few more minutes, Lenalee walked back over with little more than a few scrapes and bruises, and looked at the scene before her, but immediately, looked back at the Noah who was still standing there. At this point, Allen stood as well and walked over, keeping their Innocence activated and glaring at her. Jubilex merely shrugged and walked over to them.

"I don't think I want to fight two Exorcists of your caliber today… The Earl warned me to be careful, lest the family that he worked so hard to reassemble be torn asunder once more. Goodbye, Exorcists. We will meet again… Remaining Akuma… Self destruct…" She said, boarding the Ark, which appeared out of thin air. "Now." She completed as the Ark disappeared, and Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee each made great haste to protect their comrades. Allen and Lenalee set up magical barriers to protect everyone, and Lavi hugged Lou Fa even tighter to him than she had been as the Akuma exploded and destroyed everything within a three block radius, leveling entire city streets, turning buildings and cobblestone roads, streetlamps, signs, trees and all to dust, right along with all of the civilians standing there, which then blew away in the wind.

Allen and Lenalee looked over at Miranda, who lay unconscious from the exertion of actually resurrecting someone for real… Unlike the Earl, who brought their soul back into an Akuma body for his own personal power plant. Although the cost had been great that day, the benefit had also been commensurate, if not entirely worth the loss, then at least equal to it. Of course, in Allen's opinion, even one human life was too much to lose. But he also understood that such was the nature of war, that human lives had to be sacrificed in order to win, as sad as that was to admit.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Weeks had gone by, and the night of the eclipse was drawing nearer and nearer. Lou Fa hadn't woken up, though. The science department had run dozens of tests on her and said that her life wasn't in danger, but that using her Innocence, in addition to the wounds, and the severe shock that she suffered all helped to leave her unable to awaken. With the scientific data that they stole from the Earl, they had managed to regenerate most of her wounds, and fix her arm extremely quickly. However, her eye was a different story. There was nothing in the data about regrowing mangled or lost body parts. All they could say was that Lou Fa would certainly be surprised when and if she woke up to see plenty of scars but no wounds, and to find that they had to remove her eye to prevent infection. Unfortunately, there was nothing that anyone could say to convince Lavi that it wasn't his fault this happened.

In fact, there wasn't a single thing that anyone could do to force Lavi to leave the infirmary.

"I'm going to be there when Lou Fa wakes up…" he would say. Fortunately for his health, he would eat if given food, and he was occasionally found sleeping, albeit still sitting in the same chair as he always did. Occasionally, Allen or Lenalee, and sometimes even Miranda would come in to sit with him for a while. But his icy demeanor made it hard to talk to him, and so, eventually, even they stopped.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Order had much to do. Given the newfound power of the Noah Family, all other HQs had been abandoned and they all moved into Main HQ. Although that did mean that Main HQ was almost at capacity, it was certainly much safer with all of the exorcists in one place, especially the generals, all of whom could probably defeat a Noah without undue trouble. Although Rouvelier didn't like that Allen and Lenalee had magical ability, especially since he had not initially been informed of it, he had ordered them to increase the magical protection around Main HQ, and so, Allen and Lenalee spent most of their free time, now, running around the building, looking for any way in. Given the information they now had about the Ark, and the fact that Allen possessed knowledge of Road's powers, they were also putting up barriers against trans-dimensional entry and teleportation magic. Since both Allen and Lenalee knew that no amount of magic could repel the combined efforts of the Noah Family and the Earl indefinitely, they also set up magical alarms that would alert the Order if there was any sign, however faint, of a break-in, or an attempt to do so, regardless of the method of doing so.

The Research and Development team, meanwhile, had discovered a way to at least stall Tyki Mikk in simply phasing through the walls of the Order. By harnessing the concentrated level of Innocence inside Hevlaska, they managed to set up an Innocence Aura all around the Order that not only made it painful and difficult for Noah to get through, but could also destroy up to a level 4 Akuma due to the sheer concentration of the Innocence. They had also done research on the weapons that Cross had given to Allen and Lenalee, and had modified them so that they could work in the hands of anyone, so now, all Finders were equipped with these guns, which fed off of the individual's life force and physical energy. While it was true that there were fewer Finder fatalities, the Finder's need to rest increased between missions, so in the end, the improvement there was only slight.

Komui was also getting very little sleep because he was continuously taking reports of strange events that would normally take a backseat to other more vital matters for the Exorcists. But now, at any one time, although they now had at least 20 Exorcists, there might only be 5 in Main HQ at once, always including at least 1 general, because the other 15 were out on missions to collect Innocence, find new accommodators, and destroy Akuma in general. Since the Exorcists never went out individually anymore, and they were also equipped with the special weapons, there had not been any deaths so far. However, it was only a matter of time before one got in over their head.

Down in the cafeteria, Allen breathed a sigh of relief and walked up to Jerry, surprising even him with his order of 10 of everything. Lenalee couldn't help but laugh at this, especially when he got the tray and it ended up piled up to the ceiling, even with how carefully Jerry had stacked it. Despite the weight, though, he seemed not to be having any problem carrying it, and when he sat down, only then did he notice everyone staring at him.

"What? Did I do something funny, Lenalee?"

"Huh? I don't think so… Perhaps it's all the food you ordered?"

"That must be it. Well, itadakamasu!" Allen exclaimed, immediately starting on his massive pile of food, and finishing about half an hour later. For Allen, half an hour was a long meal, and he was rather glad that he had the luxury of taking his time. As he had stated quite plainly to Tyki Mikk, he preferred to take his time when eating…

_Now that I think back on it, that was when Lavi first battled… Road… God. I haven't thought about her one bit in months. She sacrificed her life to assist the Order… Granted, I'm the one who killed her… and I can't even spare her a thought._

Allen's eyes suddenly glazed over in deep thought, and his face went blank, like all emotion had been drained from him. Lenalee looked over at Allen and popped up in front of his face, staring him in the eyes, hoping that he'd notice her. When it didn't work, she waved her hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers a few times.

"Alllllennnn…" Lenalee called, shaking him gently.

_I wonder what Road felt when she saw my claws about to tear through her body… Her body. It was so small and fragile looking. It's hard to believe that she was so powerful. I guess she'd be the extreme version of a dizzy dreamer. Her body itself was fragile, but if her mind was strong enough, then nobody could touch her body, so it didn't matter. Damn! Why am I still thinking about having had sex with her? It was just a means to an end for me! Wait! A means to an end!_

"Sounds like Master…" Allen muttered out loud, although he hadn't meant to.

_Am I really becoming that much like him, that I would consider a woman's feelings to be nothing more than a convenient tool to manipulate? No! It wasn't like that! It was a matter of life and death for us! Road made that clear! But still, it shouldn't have meant anything to me, even if it was my first time… And I did it with my enemy… Instead of Lenalee. She got really angry at me._

"I guess I would have been angry, too…" Allen sighed.

"If Lenalee cheated on me?" came a voice from behind Allen and Lenalee, causing them both to jump. Allen groaned. It was the new exorcist, Lucas. He was an American, but was nothing like what Allen thought of when he heard the word. Lucas was dark and gloomy, and irritatingly enough, always finishing other people's sentences because of the parasitic Innocence that was actually in his brain itself that allowed him psychic powers. He did have enhanced speed, strength and endurance, but his main ability was the talent for detecting and interpreting thoughts. As he himself described it, the mind was not a book for him to open read at his leisure. Rather, his "mind reading" was the ability to mentally detect certain waves and patterns of thought and interpret them correctly.

"Good evening General Walker… General Lee. The scientists wish to borrow a moment of your time."

"O-okay… C-could you please not read my mind?" Allen asked nervously, not sure what else Lucas may have seen when he was looking around in Allen's head.

"My ability is nothing so barbaric and crude as 'mind reading'!" Lucas snapped. He was testy on that subject. "It is a delicate and subtle art, and to refer to it as something as simple as 'reading' is highly…" Suddenly, Lucas stopped dead in his tracks, seeming to realize how he was acting.

"P-please excuse my outburst…" Lucas said, bowing in apology. As serious as he was about his abilities, he was shyer and more sensitive than he looked.

"No… It's alright, really. I guess it's difficult to understand what you're talking about when I don't really have the same talent."

"What are you talking about? You have magic that can do the job of my Innocence with twice the efficiency, and then clean up after itself as well…" Lucas said, looking away.

"Magic isn't as great as it's cracked up to be. When you have it, people expect more of you. And besides, people have all sorts of reasons for not expressing their thoughts all the time. If I went around reading everyone's thoughts, it would completely ruin their privacy." Lenalee said with a kind smile, causing Lucas to blush slightly and smile back at her. As Allen and Lenalee were walking away, Allen smirked at Lenalee and whispered "I think Lucas has a thing for you…" earning him a playful punch in the side.

"Hi… Reever. What's going on?" Allen asked politely, smiling, although he was slightly nervous.

"We've created a new invention for exorcists that, naturally, runs on Innocence. Unfortunately, we need a test subject to find out how well it really works."

"Okay. I guess that means we're your guinea pigs…" Allen said, sweatdropping. He wasn't quite sure what all of this would entail. But then, Reever handed Lenalee a knife and what looked like a tazer.

"Now, I know this looks a great deal like a tazer, but it isn't. It has the ability to cancel out a Noah's powers for some time. It can't do it permanently, but it can make them normal in magical aspects for a number of minutes. Unfortunately, we don't know how long. So, Lenalee, zap Allen!"

"W-what! I-I can't do that!" Lenalee cried. "What if I hurt him!"

"You will hurt him! It'll hurt like hell! But you'll be helping the entire world if you do it! We need field tests before we test them on the Noah."

"It's alright, Lenalee. I'll be fine." Allen said with that reassuring smile that made it almost impossible for Lenalee to refuse him. She hated it when he smiled like that… Because even in the worst situations, when he smiled like that, she could relax with the knowledge that he would never let any of his friends get hurt… Unfortunately, that also meant that his own life meant nothing to him in the process of protecting his friends.

"A-alright…" She said uncomfortably, turning on the tazer by fueling it with her Innocence and jabbing Allen in the side, causing his entire body to seize up and start convulsing slightly. Gritting his teeth in pain, he endured it until finally it subsided and he stood back up.

"See? No problem. But how do we know it did anything other than hurt like hell?"

"Like this!" Reever said, slashing Allen's arm, inflicting a wound on him that, while shallow, bled a lot, causing blood to splatter slightly.

"R-Reever! How could you do that!" Lenalee cried, shoving Reever away from Allen as though he planned to stab him again.

"No, Lenalee, look! It worked! My cut isn't healing…! I got my healing powers from Road, so that means that if I get jabbed with that tazer, then I'll lose my regeneration… Reever, this is amazing! How did you come up with this!"

"We analyzed the information about the source of the Noahs' powers and then ran reversal simulations with different physics formulae and came up with this device. Keep an eye on your wound, and tell me when it starts to heal normally again. Keep in mind, though, that the Noahs' powers are much greater than your Noah powers, so they won't be negated for as long. Be careful."

"We will. Thank you." Lenalee said, handing the tazer back to Reever, who went and put it away.

Later, when Allen was in bed, suddenly, he heard something that he was sure wasn't normal. Then…

_-Good evening, Allen. It's been a long time. Or perhaps, I should call you Red?_

_-Neah! H-how did you come back!You were sealed away!_

_-Sealed is such a vulgar term. It's more like that Vatican agent used a technique that wrapped a few more ropes around me, tying my soul tighter to your own. After all, we both know that in a grapple, the tighter the grappler holds the one grappled, the easier it is to control them, right?_

_-Yeah, but HOW DID YOU GET OUT!_

_-Ah… I see you're as paranoid as ever, Allen. Well, I guess I at least owe you an explanation, don't I? You see, that infernal contraption of Reever's was what did it. When Lenalee used her Innocence to fry your ass, she inadvertently used the same principles that surround your Sword of Exorcism. The reason that Road's regeneration no longer affects you is because Road's soul is no longer in your body. However, Road's soul is similar enough to my own that they were close together next to your soul, and when hers was ripped off of yours, it loosened my soul, and allowed my memories to resurface._

_-Well, then I suppose I'll just have to beat those memories back down!_

_-If you think you can. Remember, I'm at least three times as powerful as Road was, and she was arguably the most powerful Noah next to the Earl. Speaking of which… If I'm here, then where is Road, I wonder? Oh where could she be?_ Neah asked sardonically, smirking at Allen, revealing his wicked Noah smile.

-_what did you do to her!_

_-I didn't do anything. She was in fact drawn towards the nearest body that she in her weakened state could inhabit. Which one was closer to you, do you think? Reever, or Lenalee?_ Neah asked, laughing icily at the look of utter dread on Allen's face.

Meanwhile, in Lenalee's room, Lenalee was fast asleep, but having the strangest of dreams.

"_Well, well… If it isn't my favorite little china doll…?" Road asked sarcastically, poking Lenalee on the nose._

"_R-Road! Am I having dreams about you, now?"_

"_No, stupid. I've invaded your dreams. But I'm not here to see you. Believe me, babe, I have much better things to do… Like take a nap, or defecate, or pretty much anything, sweetheart. I'm not picky."_

"_Then what do you want?" Lenalee asked, irritated now that Road was mocking her._

"_To warn you. You should carry that tazer around with you at all times, starting tomorrow when you wake up. And never be around Allen without it handy."_

"_What? Allen-kun?"_

"_Did I stutter! Yes, Allen! When you tazered him, you not only ripped out my soul from his, and drew it into your own body, you also wrenched loose the soul of the Fourteenth in Allen, giving Neah another chance at Allen's mind. Don't bother going to Allen, now. It's an internal battle that he has to fight alone."_

"_Why didn't you try to take over my body, then?"_

"_**Your**__ body? What the hell would I do with tits as big as the pair you're packing! And besides, I don't fancy being ogled like some sex model by half the Order!"_

"_What are you talking about? People don't…"_

"_I guess ignorance really is bliss, sweetie… You just keep on living in your own naïve little world, darling… Later…"_

"_Wait!" Lenalee called._

"_What?" Road sighed, turning around and glaring at Lenalee._

"_Um… What happens now that I have your soul?"_

"_Just like Allen did, you have my powers. Ciao, then!" Road said excitedly, blowing a kiss to Lenalee and disappearing_

_ Allen dodged Neah's next attack as Neah charged a Dark Matter attack in his hand, and fired it as a beam. Even though Allen dodged it, too, though, as Allen tumbled and stood back up, he noticed that Lenalee was standing right in the path of the beam._

"_You bastard!" Allen snarled, activating his Innocence and barely managing to block the beam in time._

"_I'm impressed. You're no longer the little boy whose only talent was being beaten senseless by the circus folk. But, you're laboring under the grave delusion that you can protect your friends and fight me at the same time, when you should be clearing your way of all obstacles, all weaknesses. That's the only way to defeat me, to force me into submission."_

"_What are you talking about?" Allen asked, raising an eyebrow._

"_Why, your friends of course. Go on, kill Lenalee right there. It shouldn't be too hard for you given all that power you have. What about Lavi?" Neah asked, pointing to his red haired friend. "And Miss Lou Fa." He continued, indicating the petite scientist, being held by Lavi. "What about Timothy? Miranda? Krory? Lucas? Noise Marie? Chaoji? You better kill them before they… or rather… I… kill you."_

_ And with that, all of his 'friends' activated their Innocence and began advancing on him. Allen leapt out of the way of Chaoji, who attacked first, punching a huge crater in the ground, and then immediately attacking again. Then he shoved Timothy aside to keep him from using his Tsukikami on him, and jumped over Krory, who tried to bite him._

"_Ah, ah, ah!" Neah chided. "I told you. You have to __**kill**__ them. After all, they aren't real, right?"_

"_At that same moment, though, Lenalee hugged Allen from behind and whispered in his ear seductively, "Allen-kun". A second, later, though, she used a dagger that formed out of midair to stab him just left of his heart._

"_Lena…lee…" Allen gasped, forcing the dagger out._

"_Remember, until you beat me, you don't have regeneration, and everything that happens to you in this dream, happens in reality…"_

"_Does that mean…?" Allen gasped, thinking of his friends fates, and that of the entire world._

"_Who can say?" Neah said, shrugging unceremoniously and watching as Krory punched Allen hard, breaking a rib. Allen gasped in pain, coughing blood, and then kicked Krory in the face, hoping to concuss him. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and Krory simply got back up._

"_Did you really think that it could be as simple as knocking him unconscious? Come on! Take your little Innocence weapon and cut Krory's fucking throat. That should kill even the toughest of vampires…" Neah said, grabbing Allen's arm and slashing at Krory, causing Krory to gasp and immediately fall to the ground, dead. At that moment, Allen saw Neah grimace, but unfortunately, Allen grimaced as well, as Lenalee slipped a longer blade into his back, drawing it out roughly._

"_Good bye Allen Walker. I will miss you, and if it's any comfort, the Earl will die by my hand in your stead."_

"_No! I won't let you hurt my friends!" Allen snapped ripping through Lenalee's chest and through Lavi's at the same time, then one by one, capping all of his other friends, watching in satisfaction as Neah tried to hide his pain, even while laughing hysterically._

"_Ah, it seems like you're doing a pretty fantastic job of hurting your friends on your own… Well, I can see you don't need me. Goodbye. My powers are yours to do with as you will."_

And with that, Allen shot up in bed. His whole body hurt, although there was no visible sign of any injury. Suddenly, he remembered Neah's ominous comment. What about his friends? Did he really kill them! Before he could think anymore, though, the alarm sounded, and Allen was forced to get his clothes and his Exorcist uniform on and move out.

As Allen entered the hall, he saw Krory and Miranda running as well, and sighed in relief. So Neah had just been trying to scare him. Unfortunately, it had worked. Allen had been terrified. He still was, but not of the same thing. What was going on in the Order that the alarm would sound in the middle of the night? As he was thinking, though, Reever ran up alongside him and handed Allen the tazer that had been used on him earlier.

"The Noah have attacked en masse. There are Akuma swarming all over the place! Chief Komui has already been killed by a Blood Bullet, along with who the hell knows how many else!"

"Shit! Does Lenalee know yet!" Allen yelled. Reever nodded.

"Yeah. He died protecting her! You have to get there ASAP, though! Don't dawdle!"

Allen nodded to this once, and in a flash, he was gone, leaving Reever to wonder where he had gone.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Oh… Your poor brother…" The Earl crooned, grinning maniacally as the Noah spread out and continued to murder more and more people.

"W-why?" Lenalee sobbed. "Why did you do it, Nii-san! I told you back then that I needed you! How could you leave me!"

"Don't worry, darling… Your dear brother is in heaven, now, and soon, you'll be joining him. Don't get too comfortable there, though, because I'll be pulling all of the souls in both heaven and hell down into brand new Akuma bodies ready to do my bidding. As soon as the eclipse comes, the whole world will drown in a sea of blood, hahahahahahaaa!" The Earl laughed jovially. Lenalee looked up at him with contempt, and before the Earl could move a muscle, if indeed he had any, Lenalee had disappeared and reappeared behind him with her boots activated and kicked him in the head, causing him to vault over his feet a few times, landing in a heap on the wrecked cafeteria floor. Lenalee then jumped into the air, flipped and kicked him again, satisfied with the crunching sound that she heard underneath her boots.

Sadly, though, it wasn't enough, and she suddenly found herself being drawn away and bound by Cyril's threads.

"Hello, my lovely Lenalee. It's really too bad I have to kill you, today. I could destroy that pesky Innocence for you, and you could come work for us. You would be free of the wretched Dark Order, and that irritating brat, Allen Walker."

"You can't be serious?" Lenalee asked, slightly disgusted.

"Well, it was worth a try. Tyki! Do you want to kill her, or should I!" Cyril called. Tyki looked over, annoyed, as he was ripping out an exorcist's heart and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Weakling…" He muttered, destroying the Exorcist's Innocence and then scowling at Cyril.

"Why don't you do your own dirty work? We all know what a BDSM freak you are? Tie her up, break her bones, cut her with a knife… Torture her till she cries uncle, or something. Have fun, but I'm busy."

As soon as Cyril was about to start torturing Lenalee, though, his hand was burned by a powerful flame. In the next moment, Lenalee kicked Cyril in the stomach and leapt out of the way.

"Ah…" Cyril hissed, shaking his hand, trying to cool it off. "You're the pyromancer Exorcist. We never did learn your name… Not that it really matters. No, don't bother telling me, I'm liable to forget, anyhow. All that matters is that I'm going to kill you…" Cyril said, releasing his strings and running at the Pyromancer, who dodged and shot a flame at Cyril. The fire burned him slightly, but did no real damage. Cyril laughed and shot off one of his invisible threads, grabbing a hold of the pyromancer's arm and tugging, causing it to snap, and leading to an ever so satisfying scream of pain from him.

"Yeesh… Exorcists just don't come like they used to. Well, fine… Guess I'll just kill you, pyromancer. Then I can hear the dulcet screams of a lovely lady as I slowly torture her into madness. From what I hear, you already know what it feels like to be insane… Was it lonely, little girl? Being surrounded by people but completely alone, chained to a bed like an animal under the pretense of preservation of life?" Cyril asked, his smirk widening as he neared Lenalee. How did he know all this? Lenalee was rooted where she stood, unable to move, unable to speak or respond in any way. "Loneliness and grief gnawing away at your mind until nothing existed but hatred and resentment and fear. Fear that you would be locked up in this horrible prison forever, until the day you died, fear that there was no way out. Hatred for the people who brought you here, resentment of God…"

"Shut up!" Lenalee muttered furiously.

"And the Innocence…"

"Stop it!"

"And what it did to your life. But then your precious brother showed up and helped you smile again… But you still nursed that lingering, festering resentment, never letting go of that grudge against God, against the Innocence that they forced on you! Friends? Family? They all disappear… Just like your brother died! Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, and then… The hatred and the resentment return, and with it… Madness…"

"No! You're wrong!" Lenalee cried.

"Well, can't blame me for trying. You were a little bit fun to tease. Now, you die, though, and maybe you can meet your brother in heaven." Cyril said. Lenalee was still stuck there, unable to make herself move, even as the battle raged around her, as the Order was being destroyed, and the Exorcists were being blasted back like twigs. Slowly, Cyril advanced and shot a thread at Lenalee, but then, it was snapped in midair, and when Lenalee found that she could move again, she saw Lavi standing there, his hammer activated, and Lou Fa in the background, using her Innocence again.

"You weren't planning to start the battle without us, were you, Lenalee?" Lavi asked with a confident smirk. Lenalee smiled and nodded weakly.

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me yet. These fuckers ain't dead. Allen's on his way! He got held up by some weird new type of Akuma, but he won't be long. Knowing him, he's already finished up and is almost here."

"Hello! I'm right here, Red…" Cyril said coldly, shooting threads at him, but being blocked again by the hammer, which then grew as Lavi watched the seals appear around his head.

"Combo Seal: Supercharged Electric Wave!" He shouted, hitting the water seal and the electric seal at the same time, and firing it point blank at Cyril, who barely managed to get mostly out of the way, but still had his left arm burnt nearly down to the bone, and his whole body was paralyzed temporarily while his Nervous System reset.

"I'm not gonna give you time to reset!" Lavi shouted, and charged a Fire/Lightning attack. Before he could do that, though, Tyki jumped in, and dragged Cyril out of the way, just moments before the spot in which they had both been standing was turned to cinders. As they were doing that, though, the Earl looked outside, leading several others to as well, and they all gasped.

"Ten minutes until the full eclipse… We need only hold out until then, dear family!" The Earl cried triumphantly. Then, to everyone's horror, the Earl charged up two extra large annihilation spheres and plowed them into the ground.

Miranda cried out in terror and activated her Innocence, spreading it as wide as she could. Even still, though, the battlefield was too widespread, and at least four Exorcists, and their Innocence were turned to dust. Fortunately, Lavi, Lou Fa, and Lenalee, all of whom were close to Miranda at the time survived. Unfortunately, among the four who died were the pyromancer and Krory, the latter of whom's last act was to jump in and shield one of his comrades from the attack.

Naught was left of HQ now, but glass and rubble, and the Earl floated up in midair, and charged two more, but before he could, Allen jumped, and kicked the Earl, then slashing at him with his Sword of Exorcism, causing the spheres to fizzle out, and die.

"Ah, Allen Walker!" You've arrived just in time to see me destroy the last of your forces. As you can see, you're hopelessly outmatched, and we are about to witness the rebirth of my full power! Hahahahaha!" The Earl said maniacally, pointing up at the sky, and showing Allen that the moon was already half covered. Allen sneered at the Earl, and shrugged his shoulder.

"Half moon, no moon… Either way, you'll die soon… You should quit now. Stop being a buffoon…" Allen said, with a rather Noah-like grin on his face. The Earl frowned for a moment, but then laughed uproariously.

"Ahahahahaha! Spoken like a true clown, Allen Walker! Too bad you won't be around to entertain me for much longer…" The Earl said, drawing his blade from Lero, and landing nimbly on the ground, surprisingly light for one so very large. Allen then followed suit, and as soon as both landed, they charged towards one another, clashing blades in a shower of sparks. The two pressed their blades hard against each other, and then drew away, immediately clashing again and flying away, this time, though, Allen threw his sword in the air, and used magic to draw the Earl closer. Then he grabbed his sword at the last moment, spun and slashed the Earl as deeply as he could. It seemed, though, like it went right through the fat man, and in fact, it did. The Earl then laughed dangerously.

"You are not the only one with space-time magic, young Exorcist, though I'm impressed that you managed to use it so well for such a beginner. Usually, a novice sorcerer would destroy their body out of time simply by trying to teleport a pencil, but you… You manipulated the halls so that the Hammer exorcist and the Chinese girl got there just in time, so that the clock woman could extend her barrier to protect the greatest number of exorcists just in the nick of time… So that my attacks were slower just by a fraction of a millisecond, giving you the time to stop them."

"Talking is pointless, Earl. Fight!" Allen snapped, teleporting behind the Earl in the same instant he switched to Claw, and wrenching his clawed hand into the Earl's back… Or what he thought was the Earl's back, but was really thin air. The Earl jumped up, flipped, and brought the sword down on Allen's arm. Fortunately, at the last second, a barrier was erected between them, and only the barrier was shattered.

"Allen-kun! If you die, I'll kill you!" Lenalee screamed, giving Allen a new rush of confidence. With this, he teleported into the air, and went into a spiraling nosedive, slashing the Earl violently with his Innocence Claw, trashing the Earl's right arm.

"AAAAAGGHHH!" The Earl roared as Allen used a fire spell to cauterize the wound heavily just in case the Earl had regeneration like Road.

"Hahahaaaa! How very cautious of you, Allen Walker, to make sure that my arm couldn't grow back. But you're very nearly out of time. In exactly 1 minute, the moon will be covered, and my full powers will return. Nothing can stop me then. Oh, maybe you'll be able to kill 5 or 6 Noah, but they'll come back, and more powerful than ever. Goodbye, Allen Walker! We won't meet again!" The Earl said. And in that moment, Allen knew that they were both goners. The Earl was complacent, giving Allen the chance to kill him. But by taking that chance, the Earl gained the chance to kill him. Allen's sword went through the Earl just as the Earl did the same to Allen. The Noah and the Exorcists gasped as one as their respective champions gasped their final breath, and in Allen's final move, he said.

"Let this unamusing tomfoolery end here…" And with his Claw, he severed the Earl's head.

The Earl was dead, and the Noah knew they had been defeated. Slowly, the gray skin tone that marked the Noah for who they were began to fade, and their powers disappeared. All was right with the world once more. Akuma around them began to turn to dust, and the souls escaped back to where they were meant to be. All over the world, the Akuma were getting their well deserved rest.

"Huh? I guess I died, then. Oh well… I did what I was put on this Earth to do. I only wish that I could have lived a life with Lenalee, and had a normal family and a normal life, with normal friends… Hah… Normal. That's…"

"Stupid to wish for? Not at all…" Came a voice from behind Allen. Allen turned around in shock to see a woman of stunning beauty in flowing white robes.

"Are you… an angel?"

"No. If I were an angel, that would mean you were dead… Which you are not yet. I'm Eve. I wanted to thank you for saving the world. I loved my husband very much, even though I saw how corrupted by hatred and rage he was. I pretended not to notice, because I wanted to live as happy a life as I could with him. Alas, it wasn't to be. His deal with the Devil finally backfired on him. He finally met his match in the one type of being with which he never wanted to be associated… A human. Allen, you made the right choice… It's hard to part with someone dear to you. The Earl preyed on that human weakness. Your choice to finish the Earl at the cost of your own life was beyond anything we could have expected of you. Right now, Lenalee is calling your name, begging you to awaken, and Miranda is using the last ounce of her strength to revive you. Lou Fa is crying over your body. She may not be attracted to you, anymore, but she still cares deeply about you. What will you do? You've earned eternal rest a thousand times over, but this choice has to be yours."

"I have to go back. I still have too much to do."

"Then goodbye for now. We'll meet again someday. Until then, live a long and happy life…"

And with that, his mind faded away, and he began to become aware of his surroundings again. He shook his head and opened his eyes.

"Huh? Whoa… Talk about a strange dream… Lenalee… You aren't hurt, are you? Lou Fa? Lavi? Miranda? Tim?"

"We're all fine, Allen-kun… I'm so happy you're alright!" Lenalee sobbed, throwing her arms around Allen and pulling him in so tightly that Allen was sure that he heard a few bones cracking. Nonetheless, he had never been happier… And yet, something was missing… Even though it wasn't. He looked at his left arm. No Innocence. He had a normal arm. He still had the crown shaped tattoo around his shoulder, but Allen was sure that would always be there. Just a reminder that this all did really happen.


	20. Chapter 20

Epilogue

"Aw, Daddy! Do I hafta go to church! It's so boring!" The young boy with the rusty hair complained. Allen laughed and shook his head.

"Nah… You don't have to go. But didn't you promise to meet Liza after church, Neah?"

"Yeah… But her brother is always there! He's a stupid jerk! He asked Road why she has such a weird name and made her cry! Jerk!"

"Did he now! Ahhh… That sort of sounds like something he'd say. Next time he asks, tell him she was named after a war hero. She betrayed her own family, and in doing so, saved the world…"

Road, and Mana looked up at Allen, Mana looking skeptical, and Road looking fascinated.

"Really!" Road asked, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement. "What did she look like! Was she really strong and powerful!"

"Well, I'm sure that if you asked Lavi, he could find a picture of her for you. You see, she isn't in any book you'll ever find…"

"What are you telling your kids, now, Beansprout!" Lavi asked with a wide smirk and a laugh.

"I was telling them about Road, and how she got her name."

"Ah. Well, she was bound to ask eventually, I suppose. Here, I think I still carry that old file with me… Just cuz it's kinda' nostalgic, y'know?"

Lavi dug around in his coat and pulled out a crumpled folder, straightening it out and taking out the right picture.

"Here ya' go, squirt!" Lavi said, handing Road the picture. Neah and Mana gathered around and looked at her.

"Wow. So Dad wasn't bullshitting us after all! Damn… She was pretty hot…" Mana said. Lenalee looked down at him reproachfully, but Allen merely laughed at this.

"I suppose she was."

"What was she when this picture was taken? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"5,000… Give or take a few hundred years…" Allen said completely seriously.

"Yeah, Dad… Seriously…" Neah said, looking up at him.

"Let's just say fourteen, then… Leave it at that?" Allen said, laughing sheepishly. After a few more moments, a small, red haired, bespectacled girl stepped out from behind Lou Fa, blushing slightly.

"H-hi, Neah-kun…" She muttered, walking over to him and smiling demurely.

"Hi, Liza-chan…" Neah replied with his usual confident grin. His hair was jet black, and his skin was of a dusky hue, although Allen and Lenalee claimed that they couldn't quite figure out which parent he took after. They knew, though. They knew that Neah Walker didn't let his influence die out so easily. And neither did Road Kamelot. The Noah family was not so easy to get rid of.

The four parents smiled though at the young couple, remembering what it had been like when they were young… How different the world had been… How frightening… How dark... How full of despair… And yet, like Pandora's box, the last thing to come out of that debacle was hope. And with hope, it was transformed into a wonderful place…

"Hey! Get your damn hands off my sister, you fucking squid!" Came an obnoxious voice, and Allen's mind came back and he noticed that Neah was being chased by Lee, Liza's older brother. After a moment, Neah stopped, though, and got into a stance that Allen knew only too well. Only his quick intervention saved Lee a trip to the hospital.

"Neah! What have I told you about using that!"

"Never use it unless I'm about to die…"

"Good… Now, apologize to Lee…"

"Sorry…" Neah said grudgingly, holding out his hand to shake Lee's. Lee looked down at Neah with his usual superior smirk, and took Neah's hand. As soon as he did, though, there was a flash and a bang, and Lee was 5 feet away, his whole body twitching, and his hair standing on end.

"Ahahahahahaaa! Take that, retard!" Neah yelled, giving Lee the finger. Lou Fa merely laughed nervously, and took off her glasses, polishing them.

"I am really sorry about that, Lavi… Lou Fa…" Lenalee said, bowing politely.

"Nah! Don't worry about it! It's just a little bit of static, right? The kid'll be fine."

… Well, relatively speaking…

**The End**

A/N: If you're reading this note, then thank you. You read my whole story. It took a long time… and I hit a lot of stumbling blocks… But I think I managed okay. Yeah, I know the ending is a little similar to some of my other stories, but to be honest, it's because I feel that Mana, Road, and Neah are the only appropriate names for Allen and Lenalee's children, given the story that preceded it. I'm open to other suggestions, as long as they aren't flames.


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